Chapter 235 - 215: Opening the Door with Blood

Chapter 235: Chapter 215: Opening the Door with Blood

"My lady!"

In an instant, Midton’s eyes blazed with fury.

He knew Philina was in danger, but he never expected this young man to strike without any warning.

Moreover, the spot he had stabbed with his dagger was precisely one that stifled the flow of Philina’s Fighting Spirit.

If her wound wasn’t treated in time, Philina’s path of advancement might end here.

’How did he figure out the path of Philina’s Fighting Spirit?’

This was the first question that surfaced in Midton’s mind.

While everyone’s physical structure was fundamentally the same, there were significant minor differences. Combined with different Knight’s Breathing Techniques, once a Knight reached the Grand Knight Level, the critical nodes for their Fighting Spirit circulation were unique to each individual.

Yet this young Baron Vili had found the pivotal joint in Philina’s Fighting Spirit circulation in an instant. It was simply shocking.

Of course, Midton had no way of knowing that observing and probing a Grand Knight’s Fighting Spirit circulation nodes was one of the combat techniques granted by the Title Attribute Panel.

But Midton had no time to ponder any further. He instinctively bent down to pick up his longsword.

As a Grand Knight, a weapon allowed him to better extend his Fighting Spirit.

’He still wants to grab his weapon...’

Vili naturally wouldn’t give Midton the chance.

With a single chop of his hand, he knocked the dazed Philina unconscious. Then he raised his Cross Sword and charged directly at Midton.

’Not good!’

Midton had just touched his weapon when he saw Vili bearing down on him. He barely managed to raise his sword to counterattack.

But his slow movement caused his defense to collapse instantly.

Vili simply shifted his footing and swung his Cross Sword in a backhanded slash.

SCHLICK!

Midton’s throat was severed.

Only half the skin, flesh, and sinew still connected it to his neck.

Midton’s face twisted into a ferocious grimace. He clapped a hand over his wound, but blood still gushed out. He opened his mouth wide, trying to scream, but no sound came out.

The powerful Life Force of a Grand Knight Level expert kept him from dying immediately.

CLANG.

The Cross Sword Midton had just picked up suddenly fell to the ground.

He used all his strength, clutching his neck with his one remaining free hand, trying to press the severed parts back together, but it was useless. Blood continued to pour out, staining his hand a deep crimson.

THUMP.

Midton collapsed to his knees, his entire body convulsing and trembling.

He could clearly feel his Life Force rapidly draining away.

"My lady..."

Midton made no sound, but the shape of his mouth revealed what he was trying to say.

Intense pain caused his kneeling figure to topple over onto the ground. He struggled to lift his head, wanting to get one last look at the unconscious Philina.

But in the end, he failed. The loss of his Life Force had robbed him of his last ounce of strength.

"Philina... Fidala..."

These were the last echoes in Midton’s ears.

The last image in his mind was of two toddlers, staggering as they learned to walk.

’A loyal servant...’

Vili walked over to Midton and confirmed he was dead.

Although he respected the man’s loyalty, Vili felt no guilt or sadness.

When two groups with conflicting interests clash, one must inevitably fall.

If Vili hadn’t advanced to Junior Grand Knight, he would be the one lying dead here today.

"Not bad."

Vili glanced at his four men, who were still entangled in battle with the Senior Knight.

The four of them had not yet managed to defeat the Senior Knight. After all, not everyone had Vili’s ability to fight above their level. However, to Vili’s satisfaction, they seemed to have the upper hand in the exchange.

Normally, a single Senior Knight fighting against the likes of Budar, Benduin, and Colson should have been able to take the initiative.

But seeing Midton dead and Philina unconscious had greatly affected the Senior Knight’s state of mind. His movements in battle had become somewhat disjointed.

"Die!"

When the Senior Knight saw Vili’s gaze fall upon him, he shuddered. His movements faltered for a moment, revealing an opening.

Benduin saw this and immediately seized the opportunity.

He leaped into the air, his Iron Spear’s tip wreathed in the Earth Element, and thrust it fiercely at the Senior Knight’s head.

SQUELCH!

Benduin’s Iron Spear pierced straight through the Senior Knight’s head.

His corpse fell abruptly, spilling blood all over the ground.

"Hooo..."

Seeing this, Benduin suddenly took a deep breath and then broke into a wide grin.

’I’ve taken another step on the path of Justice.’

’This is truly something to be proud of.’

Poor Benduin hadn’t noticed at all that ever since he started following Vili, his own definition of Justice seemed to have shifted somewhat...

Vili’s Hanged Man aura made Benduin overlook many details that were not purely righteous.

"Lord Baron."

Budar was the first to walk to Vili’s side. He glanced at Midton’s corpse and the injured, unconscious Philina nearby, a flash of surprise in his eyes. But it vanished just as quickly.

He was already used to it. This young Baron had always been a symbol of overwhelming power and strength.

Vili glanced at Budar. In the battle just now, Budar’s performance had indeed been the most outstanding. He was a former Pirate Leader who had crawled his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, so his practical combat ability was a cut above the others.

"Now that our visitors have been dealt with, it’s time to continue our operation."

Vili turned, walked over to the unconscious Philina, grabbed the back of her collar with one hand, and dragged her directly in front of the Black Copper Giant Gate.

In Vili’s eyes, Philina was a gift that had delivered itself to his doorstep.

Originally, his group had no way of opening this Black Copper Giant Gate, but he never expected a descendant of the Sivall Family to deliver herself to them.

"Hold her up."

Vili said to Benduin, who was standing beside him.

Benduin nodded, grabbing Philina by the neck and her arm without the slightest hint of gentleness.

Vili lifted one of Philina’s arms, held her by the wrist, and made a light cut with his dagger.

Bright red blood trickled from Philina’s wrist.

Vili wasn’t the least bit worried that Philina would bleed to death. The three wounds he’d inflicted earlier had already stopped bleeding, protected by the residual Fighting Spirit in her body.

DRIP. DRIP...

The blood from Philina’s wrist dripped, drop by drop, into the Blood Source Slot of the Black Copper Giant Gate.

"Why is there no reaction?"

Benduin watched intently from the side, his hand still clamped firmly around Philina’s neck, afraid she would wake up and struggle. Although Vili had pierced the critical nodes of her Fighting Spirit circulation, Philina, a Middle Grand Knight, still possessed a degree of combat strength.

A trace of doubt also appeared in Vili’s eyes.

’Is it because there isn’t enough blood...?’

By now, Philina’s blood had already filled one-third of the blood slot.

Vili used his dagger to reopen Philina’s healing wound.

Finally, when the blood slot was two-thirds full, the Black Copper Giant Gate before them suddenly began to change.

The blood in the slot began to flow upward, tracing the patterns on the frame of the Black Copper Giant Gate.

The blood formed into thin streams, coursing along the strange carvings. When the first trickle of blood reached the hollow engraving at the very top, a faint golden light appeared on the surface of the Black Copper Giant Gate.

Vili and Benduin, who was still holding Philina, both took an instinctive step back.

RUMBLE!

The Black Copper Giant Gate, which had been perfectly sealed and motionless, slowly began to pull apart.

"This is..."

The moment the Black Copper Giant Gate opened, a powerful wave of Natural Energy washed over them.

Vili felt his heart suddenly leap, as if an already overexcited person had been injected with yet another stimulant.

For a moment, Vili even felt a dizzying rush.

"This is that Natural Energy from before!"

It wasn’t just Vili; the others realized it too.

’This feeling...’

Colson’s brow was furrowed. The joy he had felt when he first sensed this Natural Energy was completely gone.

This wave of Natural Energy was so immense that even he, a Silent, felt a sense of oppression.

With a final CLANG, the Black Copper Giant Gate opened completely.

The gazes of Vili and his men were all drawn inside.

This time, they didn’t need Senya to scout ahead, because the space behind the Black Copper Giant Gate was much smaller than they had imagined.

’Is that the source of this powerful Power of Nature...’

Although they hadn’t entered yet, Vili and his men could clearly see a dark green heart, suspended in mid-air, slowly beating.

The surface of the dark green heart was covered in complex patterns, very similar to those on the frame of the Black Copper Giant Gate. It beat very slowly, pulsing on average only once every ten seconds.

Below it was a circular stone platform the color of black copper. Arranged neatly around the platform were more than a dozen exquisite wooden chests.

With each beat of the dark green heart, the resulting wave of natural energy became even richer.

"What is this?"

Vili turned to look at Colson.

"I don’t know."

Even Colson, the Silent, had no idea what the suspended, dark green heart was.

Vili’s brow remained tightly furrowed.

After two or three minutes, the men finally fully adapted to the dense Natural Energy environment.

Only after confirming that the dark green heart posed no danger did Vili cautiously lead his men into the secret chamber behind the Black Copper Giant Gate.

Just after stepping into the secret chamber, Vili made a point to glance back, afraid the Black Copper Giant Gate might suddenly slam shut.

But Vili’s worry was unnecessary. Ever since it opened, the Black Copper Giant Gate had remained completely still.

’This is the treasure left behind in these chests?’

After confirming the dark green heart posed no threat, Vili slowly crouched down.

’Is this all that’s left of the Royal Family of a fallen duchy?’

Vili placed his hand on one of the wooden chests and gently opened it.