Chapter 495 273: Absolute Violence

However, Jill seemed to have anticipated Baron's punch. His wings, somewhere between gray and white, burst open, whipping up another gale. He used the immense wind pressure to pull himself back at extreme speed, like a great sail being hoisted on a ship.

Then, in the instant Baron's punch missed and he drew his sword back, Jill used the kinetic energy from folding one of his wings to rapidly change direction, thrusting the longsword in his hand—made long, narrow, and sharp by an infusion of Spiritual Power—straight at Baron's face!

The roles of attacker and defender switched in an instant!

Baron blocked with the flat of his sword, but unexpectedly, Jill performed a flourish. The sword's tip changed direction, stabbing toward Baron's chest instead. Baron blocked the strike with his arm. Then, with a tremor of Spiritual Power, he dislodged the longsword that had pierced deep into his ulna. Stomping on the ground like a leopard, he retreated, leaving a winding, rose-red trail of blood on the floor.

The onlooking crowd erupted in a great uproar.

The Griffin Knights gloated, "Our Vice-Commander is the fastest man in the Griffin Knight Order, second only to the Commander himself. Even if that Attendant possesses unrivaled strength, it's all useless if his speed can't keep up."

Aile opened his mouth, wanting to tell them how he and the Red-armored Knight had attacked this Attendant together, only to be suppressed by his absolute, brute force.

But he decided against it, considering it would inevitably displease them. They might think he was speaking up for the Attendant, so in the end, he said nothing.

He looked toward the Attendant. Having been caught off guard by Jill, his defense was now faltering, completely lacking its earlier effortlessness.

During the fight, the Attendant's injured arm had clearly become Jill's primary target; seven out of every ten thrusts were aimed at that arm.

The spectating guests let out waves of cheers, not exactly fervent, but not quite subdued either.

Aile frowned slightly. 'Although it looks like Jill is overwhelming the Attendant, for some reason... maybe it's just a gut feeling, but I can't shake the sense that this Attendant is waiting for something...'

His gaze fell on the Attendant's hand, which was still slowly dripping blood, and his expression grew solemn.

'This guy... I can't figure him out at all.'

'Just like the Dragon Knight I encountered earlier at the ruins of the Dragon Family...' Thinking of that Dragon Knight who was currently in the spotlight, Aile subconsciously clenched his fists.

'Judging by the time, the reinforcements should have arrived by now. I wonder what the situation is over there.'

...

「At this very moment, at the ruins of the Dragon Family three miles from Traitor's Cliff, a battle was raging in the plaza outside.」

The dozen or so Lion-eyed Knights stationed here, along with their respective Demon Lions or Silver Lions, were facing off against an endless stream of Dragon Attendants climbing up the hillside.

[PS: Demon Lions are a lower-tier substitute Magical Beast for Silver Lions. They are generally contracted by the Knights of the Lion Knight Orders, who are responsible for patrolling and guarding the major city-states of the Inner Side.]

Originally, forty Knights had been stationed here, but after being worn down by wave after wave of battle, only a dozen or so remained.

There was also a Bronze Tier Knight Commander, who was currently locked in a head-to-head confrontation with the legendary Dragon Knight in the plaza. Their battle had already reached a fever pitch.

However, the situation did not look good for the Lion-eyed Knights.

The Bronze Knight Commander, who had activated his Contractual Assimilation and was commanding his Silver Lion, found himself constrained at every turn by the Dragon Knight opposite him—the one who wielded Dragon Flame and possessed the Golden Eye.

This was because the Silver Lion was completely unable to break through the Dragon Knight's flames. As for the Bronze Knight Commander, even after using Contractual Assimilation to grow leonine blades on his hands, he couldn't help but feel his heart race when facing the Dragon Knight's Golden Eye. Even his [Lion's Roar] failed to make his opponent falter for a single moment.

This was only to be expected. After all, this was a man whom even the [Lion's Eye] of Aile Lancelot—contractor of the Silver Lion King—could only intimidate for a few breaths.

It was a pure suppression based on Tier, and the only thing that could compensate for it was superior Combat Skills.

However, the Bronze Knight Commander discovered that the Dragon Knight's skills were not much inferior to his own; the man could even hold his own against a combined assault from both him and the Silver Lion without being at a disadvantage.

'No, I should be glad that I'm still holding my own at this point.'

Forced apart by a clash of swords, the Bronze Knight Commander glanced at his own wounds—bleeding and filled with red pus from the burns—and smiled wryly. 'I wonder how the messenger I sent to the auction house is doing. Silver Lion Knight Wilder must have realized something is wrong by now, right?'

In the midst of the battle, the Bronze Knight Commander and his Knights saw a silver streak of Sword Qi, visibly miles long, fly from the other direction and crash into the black dome of the sky. That extravagant Sword Qi was, without a doubt, from Silver Lion Wilder.

'As for that so-called dome in the sky... it must be the Alchemy Barrier that's cutting off the Griffin Knight Order's garrison from their communications with the Holy Hall.'

'Silver Lion Wilder must have gotten the message,' the Bronze Knight Commander surmised. 'Reinforcements should be speeding their way here now. All I need to do is stall this self-proclaimed Dragon Knight.'

He parried the Dragon Knight's slash and said in a deep voice, "Baron Constantin, why are you attacking the Lion Eye Knight Order's garrison? What is your purpose? Aren't the crimes you already bear enough for you?"

The Dragon Knight snorted. "Crimes? You think I still care about so-called crimes? As for my purpose…"

Orange-red flames flared up around his body once more. "It is, of course, to kill all of you filthy Lion-eyed Knights, who are just as foul as Anthony, and refine you into Dragon Attendants for Lady Witch!"