《Eien Hakai》


 Encounter in the Ash Desert

    In the southern region of the underworld, dominated by Black Lord of demons, one of the only few warriors had reached the highest levels of power. These warriors had become the rulers of the three realms: the underworld "Makai" ruled by the lord of demons, the celestial world "Yume", and the green world."kuni"


    The southern area, specifically the Ash Desert known as "Yaki Suna", was one of the poorest and most desolate places in the underworld, where the destitute and outcasts from other creatures lived.


    Across the ash dunes and flames, a mysterious man walked, surveying the scattered corpses of monsters everywhere. This person had a robust build and a terrifying appearance, wearing lavish clothes like those worn by war leaders. It was clear he did not belong to this place, which made many imps and demons watch him from a distance.


    He then entered one of the well known markets there and began asking the passersby and traders if they knew someone living there named "Shane." However, he received no answers. It seemed that either no one knew him or they were unwilling to speak.


    Moments later, one of the local demon bandits attempted to rob the mysterious man, assuming he was wealthy based on his appearance. ¡°Give me your money, stranger, and get out of here before we hurt you!¡±


    The stranger tilted his hat slightly, resembling those worn by high-ranking war leaders, and shot a terrifying glance at the bandit, making him tremble. The bandit stepped back and stammered, ¡°Forget it,¡± before hastily retreating to rejoin his companions. He warned them that the stranger was dangerous and that it was best not to engage with him.


    The other bandits laughed, and one of them sneered, ¡°Ha! Are you scared, you little rat?¡±


    Despite their friend''s warning, the other bandits attacked the mysterious figure as a group, ignoring the warning he had given from behind a rock.


    Watching from a distance as the gang approached to hit the mysterious person, suddenly their bodies began to be torn apart, and some of them had their entrails exploded and came out as pieces and blood. Everyone was terrified in the market. They were accustomed to quarrels and killing, especially between small gangs fights between goblins imps and demons, but a rapid and hideous massacre of this degree was terrifying and made them run and scream.


    During the chaos, the mysterious person approached the last remaining bandit, who stood frozen in terror, paralyzed by the horrific scene. ¡°Do you know someone here named Shane?¡± he asked.


    The demon spoke hesitantly, ¡°I-I swear, I don¡¯t know his location right now, but he helped us during a theft once. Given the kinds of jobs he takes, you might find him at the Fourth Thieves¡¯ Camp. Honestly, that¡¯s all I know.¡±


    ¡°Alright, lead me there.¡±


    The thief guided him to the desired location and then pleaded, ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell anyone that I brought you here. Can I leave now?¡±


    The mysterious man tossed a gold coin to the thief and gestured for him to leave. The thief, thrilled by the coin, hurried away.


    As he entered the camp, several thieves armed with magical weapons confronted him. ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to see someone here named Shane.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not allowed. Get out of here, now!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one last time: summon Shane here and tell him the General wants to meet him.¡±


    One of the guards drew his rifle, but before he could raise it, his head exploded violently, the force emanating from the hand of the one called "General."


    This prompted the second guard to quickly request Shane¡¯s presence to resolve the situation.


    Minutes later, Shane, the camp leader, arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you finally showed up,¡± the General said.


    Shane replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯m not interested in working with you?¡±


    The General responded, ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    The battle begins when Shane refuses to discuss matters with the general. He activates his technique, the "Red Spider," and surprises the general with a rapid, consecutive attack using spider-like limbs that emerge from his back, radiating a demonic red aura. However, the general easily dodges the attacks. Shane quickly changes his position, repeatedly launching strikes from different angles in an attempt to find a gap in the general¡¯s defenses.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.The relentless attacks from Shane continue to yield no results until the general makes a swift move and punches Shane with great force, knocking him to the ground. "What exactly are you doing? Are you satisfied now, or do you want to persist and choose the hard way?"


    Shane rises from the ground and attacks again, but receives another blow that sends his blood flying. This time, he intentionally allows the attack to hit him in order to activate his technique, "Red Cloud," which transforms his blood into a gas that can change its state in an instant.


    As the red blood cloud engulfs the area, Shine laughs. "Avoid this!"


    Spearheads, blades, and arrows made from toxic magical blood emerge rapidly from the cloud, coming from all directions in an unavoidable manner.


    At that moment, an aura envelops the area, and the shape of the cloud that Shane sees attacking the general becomes distorted, leaving him astonished. The fabric of space and time is warped there.


    As the attacks approach the general, they warp and change direction; nothing can get close to him, just as nothing can escape from black holes. Shane stares in disbelief. "What has this madman done?" he thinks, watching as the General steps out of the cloud and approaches him.


    The General grabs Shane, who tries to fend off the ineffective attacks. Then he kicks him with such force that Shane crashes into a nearby hill. The General leans closer and says, "Just listen to us. I didn¡¯t come here to fight you."


    Shane replied, ¡°As I told you, I will not work with high-ranking scum. I will never forget what you did.¡±


    A general asked him, "What exactly are you talking about?" While the General tried to understand what he was saying, Shine surprised the general by activating a magic circle in the ground he was standing on.


    "Die now"


    The magical circle activated, halting the flow of magical energy from the opponent and preventing him from using any magic-based techniques, which paralyzed the general''s magic. Shane then pulled out a blood spear to attack swiftly, but the General drew a heavy weapon shaped like a gun, deflecting and shattering the spear.


    He then powered up the weapon and aimed it directly at Shane. "Shockwaves!" A concentrated burst of energy erupted from the weapon, striking Shane directly and finishing him off, leading to his defeat in the battle.


    As Shane lay on the ground, unable to move, the general approached him. Shane said, "The magic-stopping technique didn¡¯t last more than three seconds. You¡¯re not just an ordinary person working for the rulers; you are one of the three rulers themselves, either the ruler of the green or heavenly realm, right? What do you want from me?"


    "You¡¯re mistaken; I¡¯m not one of the rulers."


    "Huh? What are you saying?"


    "Have you ever heard of the incident that destroyed the Grand Realm Building?"


    "I heard a rumor about a rebel army that invaded and destroyed it."


    "That''s true; I was the commander in that battle."


    "So, the rumor about the person who brought down the main building¡ªwas it you?"


    "Yes, I led the operation."


    Shane laughed. "So you¡¯re the madman who demolished a building with a single attack? That¡¯s insane. I thought it was just a rumor, but after fighting you, I can believe it."


    He continued, "So what are you doing here, and why do you want me to work with you?"


    The general replied, "I am General, a leader of wars, and I work for an organization that has existed for centuries to achieve certain goals. My current goal is to overthrow the three rulers, and I know you hate them more than anyone because of your issues with them. I¡¯ve heard about it."


    "So you¡¯re not working with them?"


    "No, on the contrary."


    "Well, I think there are much better warriors. Why specifically seek me out?"


    "One word: potential."


    "huh ? Alright, I¡¯ll accept the offer to get my revenge on those bastards, but let me ask you something."


    "Go ahead."


    "You said this is your current goal. What do you mean? Do you have another goal?"


    "My main goal is to destroy the eternity. You¡¯ll understand later, but for now, our objective is to topple the rulers, which aligns with what you seek as well."


    Shane responded, "Okay, what exactly should I do?"


    "First, go to the Green realm, specifically to the ? Air and Wings kingdom ?, and wait for orders from there."

 A mission in T艒kui-d艒 cave

    "We have arrived at the required location, sir. This is the high-level cave T¨­kui-d¨­ where the blue ring is located. However, as your guide, I must warn you, sir, that entering here carries great risks."


    "That''s true. I''ve heard there is a lot of mystery inside the cave, and I¡¯ve heard about a person who lives inside and acts as a guard. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve hired the best assassin I know to retrieve the item from the heart of the cave, right, Mr. Michael?"


    Michael spoke, "It doesn''t matter where the map of the building is. As for the advance payment, it will be five hundred AR. Is that clear?"


    The person that hired him replied, "Yes, of course. Here is your money." He then received the map from the guide, who warned them again. "Alright, I¡¯ll leave now, but I still believe it¡¯s better to enlist as many adventurers as possible for the mission. In any case, be careful."


    The guide then left, and Michael prepared to enter. He spoke again, "If the mission fails, you will be compensated for your money. I asked someone to give you the same amount if I don¡¯t return. Is that clear?"


    "Yes, understood, Mr. Michael. Thank you for your professionalism."


    Michael opened the map, which showed the features of the cave, and began descending into the cave''s corridor. He continued down the long, continuous stairs until the place became completely dark.


    "Hmm, a cave that relies on cutting off air to prevent light and breathing."


    "I need to move quickly."


    Michael began to hear strange monster noises whispering and moving along the walls. Suddenly, one of the monsters attacked quickly, but Michael drew his claymore and sliced the creature in half in the darkness. At the same time, he reached the end of the stairs, where he was quickly attacked by a group of monsters with semi-human bodies and six arms that moved along the ground, their heads lacking eyes and having large, serrated mouths. They were called "Head Eaters."


    Michael drew two daggers designed for killing and began stabbing and slicing until their numbers increased. He then unleashed fire from his hand, burning all the monsters, which illuminated the room in the cave. There, the burnt and dismembered corpses of the monsters appeared.


    Michael also noticed the skeletons of previous adventurers.


    "Recklessness and haste¡ªthis is the natural end"


    Michael continued walking down the corridor adorned with strange drawings everywhere. The atmosphere was quiet, but he felt as if something was following him; he chose to ignore it.


    He reached the end of the corridor without encountering any traps. Suddenly, he found a large door, which he pushed open, entering what resembled a grand foyer. As soon as he entered, he was surprised by an arrow shot directly at him. He quickly drew his claymore and deflected the arrow, which turned out to be an explosive type, causing an explosion in the area. As the smoke cleared, Michael found himself facing what appeared to be a robot is the source of the attack.


    Michael moved toward the robot and evaded it.


    "Fire Slash!"


    He launched his attack sideways, severing a support beam behind which the person who had been following him all along was hiding.


    "How long will you continue to hide? Come out!"


    The person emerged from the debris and the magical robot rushed toward him. The figure, seemingly from the Elf clan, spoke, "I am the guardian of this sacred place, and you desecrate it by being here. I am astonished that you reached this far without dying like the rest of the filth."


    "Where is the blue ring? I¡¯ll take it and leave."


    "That ring is a symbol of our ancestors and our ancient civilization. Do you think I will let you taint it with your hands?"


    "Too bad. You¡¯re forcing my hand." Michael drew his sword and prepared for battle.


    The guardian summoned his magical staff and commanded the robot to attack Michael, leading to a fierce exchange of blows between them. The guardian activated his technique, "Eye of the Blessed Tree," causing magical eyes to appear and circle around the enemy, attacking from multiple directions.


    Now, Michael was attacking the robot while dodging the incoming attacks. The situation grew more difficult as time progressed, and the number of attacks increased.


    Michael unleashed his fire slashes from various angles to destroy the eyes while focusing on confronting the robot with sword strikes. But the guardian struck the ground with his staff, causing a green aura to cover the ground and summon roots that impeded movement or pierced directly into the body, in addition to the explosive magical attacks from the robot, which worsened the situation.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.The guardian spoke after seeing Michael¡¯s movements slow down, "What¡¯s wrong, intruder? Is your time already up?"


    Michael knew that if this continued, he would surely make a fatal mistake. Therefore, he launched a fire attack at the guardian, but it hit the ceiling, causing a rock to fall. This occurred after he risked taking some hits from the roots to push the robot away with his sword for a moment, aiming for the ceiling.


    The falling rock forced the guardian to evade, momentarily distracting him. Michael seized the opportunity to swiftly change his approach and appeared directly in front of him, closing the distance between them a disadvantage for a magic-type warrior.


    The guardian tried to block Michael¡¯s successive sword strikes with his staff, which had manifested a green shield. He called the robot for assistance, but as it moved, it suddenly exploded, scattering charred pieces everywhere. The guardian was taken by surprise, exclaiming, "What just happened?" only to receive a fiery stab from Michael''s sword that pierced his lungs.


    "Your focus on controlling that thing led to your downfall."


    The guardian knelt, unable to rise, clutching his severe bleeding. "What have you done?"


    "I rigged it while you were activating that magic on the ground."


    Michael then noticed the ring lying on the ground; it seemed to have been inside the puppet all along. The guardian attempted to speak, but he began losing consciousness, struggling to breathe. He seemed to try to rise with the last of his strength to attack, but he quickly lost his arm to a fire slash.


    "Damn you! Our curse will haunt you forever."


    "It doesn''t matter. I''m cursed anyway."


    In the end, the guardian fell to the ground, and in his last attempt, he tried to scream at someone to get away from here.


    "Ah! Run! Get out of here quickly!"


    Michael noticed this, and when he turned around, he saw two small elves with tears in their eyes trying to do something. It seemed that another elf had grabbed them, preventing their movement. The elf spoke, "Take the piece, but please stop and don¡¯t hurt the children."


    Michael realized that a whole tribe lived here; he hadn¡¯t been concerned about them. He continued walking after taking the piece following the guardian¡¯s death until he received a blow from a stone that drew a little blood from his head. He turned to see one of those children, angry and trembling, with tears streaming down his face, saying something incomprehensible. Michael ignored him and exited through the door he found at the end of the corridor.


    He discovered that the cave¡¯s exit led him to another location, where he found the man who had assigned him the task, along with the guide.


    "It seems you¡¯ve done your research on the cave," Michael said.


    "Ha ha, that¡¯s right, and the proof is that I chose a warrior like you to carry it out."


    "I¡¯m not a warrior," Michael replied.


    Then he continued, "As we agreed, here¡¯s the piece. Pay the rest."


    "Alright, here you go, with an extra as well."


    The guide spoke, "Awesome! This piece will make you rich, man!"


    The man said, "Don¡¯t tell anyone! I¡¯ll be wanted if the fools find out I have it."


    The guide replied, "I won¡¯t tell anyone, don¡¯t worry."


    The man signaled to Michael, who suddenly drew his sword and cut off the guide''s head, then hid the sword again behind his back.


    The man spoke, "Good. People like him will definitely spread the news or will demand payment for their silence."


    Michael asked, "Will you sell the ring?"


    "No, I¡¯ll use the ring to break the barrier protecting the elf tribe that lies beneath the cave."


    "Do you know about them?"


    "Who doesn¡¯t know? Without the barrier, attacking them with hired thieves will be easier, and selling their bones carries high value; they cure many diseases, so they are in demand among the wealthy."


    He continued, "Let¡¯s get out of here quickly; this place isn¡¯t safe. There are many monsters and giant worms underground."


    Before he could finish his sentence, a giant worm appeared and grabbed him with its tooth-filled mouth.


    "Michael! Help me!"


    "It¡¯s not part of my job to protect you."


    "What are you saying? Help me, please! I¡¯ll pay!"


    But Michael didnt help him so he was devoured and died. Michael then killed the worm with a slash, opened its mouth, and retrieved the ring from the man¡¯s corpse. He headed to the exit and re-entered the corridor, throwing the ring there before leaving again. He continued walking for an hour until he found a caravan trying to defend itself against the giant worms.

 the hunter and the hunted

    Michael heard screams nearby, and there was a traveling caravan close to the area trying to defend itself against a group of giant worms and massive insect monsters. They were defending themselves with simple weapons. Michael moved quickly in that direction and drew his sword covered with magical fire technique: "Fire Slash." All the monsters were shattered into pieces and burned in the blink of an eye.


    The members of the caravan froze in astonishment and awe. "Haha, you saved us, man! Thank you!" one of them said. Another added, "But why do you look so exhausted? Don''t tell me you were wandering here without any gear or food. You¡¯ll die in this state, no matter how strong you are, warrior."


    "I''m not a warrior," Michael replied, then continued after a brief silence, "I found myself here due to certain events, and I''m looking for a way out. Do you have a map?" One of them responded, "Where do you want to go?"


    "To the Golden Kingdom." "Excellent! We are a trading caravan; we have completed our journey and are now returning to our village. Luckily, it is located on the borders of the Golden Kingdom, so come with us; we will take you there."


    "Okay, thank you for the offer."


    One of the traders laughed, "Great! Now we won¡¯t worry about monsters on the way with you by our side, strong man! Haha!" The cart set off after Michael boarded and began moving towards the village.


    "It seems you haven''t eaten anything, my friend, and you''re also injured. Take this food and let our doctor treat you."


    "No need for that."


    "By the way, you haven''t told us your name yet."


    "I''m Michael, an adventurer who takes on missions as needed. That''s all." The trader smiled while drinking and said,


    "So you''re the mysterious type! Haha, nice to meet you!"


    One of the men interrupted, "By the way, you said you''re going to the Golden Kingdom, right? A lot of warriors are heading there for the upcoming test."


    "That''s right; I''m going for that competition."


    "That''s amazing!"


    A few hours later, the caravan reached the village shortly after sunset. "We''ve arrived. I''ll take you to a good doctor to treat your wounds and examine you."


    "No need; it''s nothing." But the trader insisted and took Michael to the doctor anyway, also paying for the treatment. He even invited him to dinner at his home.


    "Why all this generosity towards a stranger?"


    "Haha, my friend, you saved my life; it¡¯s really nothing."


    While walking through the village, Michael noticed a giant knight wearing white armor and carrying a large axe. "Listen, I¡¯ll change direction and come to your house later."


    "Okay, no problem. Is everything alright?"


    "Don''t worry; I¡¯ll finish some work and return quickly."


    Michael moved quickly and started checking around. He noticed that there were many guards outside the city looking for someone and asking passersby about someone carrying drawn pictures.


    Michael surprised one of the guards in a secluded place and beat him hard then dragged him and tied him up.


    He kicked the soldier in the face hard until his blood flew everywhere then he took out a dagger and put it to his neck.


    "Wake up you scum, scream and I will cut your throat before you know it."


    The soldier gestured with understanding.


    "Why are you looking for me?"


    "I am just carrying out the commander''s orders. He ordered us to search for you after he followed you."


    "What exactly does he want from me?"


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!"I don''t know. He said that you are suspected in several murders that occurred in recent months."


    The guard didn''t finish speaking until a number of soldiers arrived at the place.


    "Sir, we found the suspect. He is in,,,,."


    He didn''t finish speaking until Michael burned and cut everyone up quickly then disappeared quickly.


    The White Knight arrived at the place and found the bodies there


    "Hmm, the same assassination method, it''s the same"


    Michael moved until he reached the merchant''s house, then entered and welcomed him


    Michael said, "There are people chasing me. I¡¯ll leave now so I don¡¯t cause you any problems."


    At that moment, he heard a knock at the door; it was the white knight. Michael drew his sword.


    The trader spoke in a low voice, "Put away your weapon; I¡¯ll handle this."


    The trader approached the door and opened it slowly, standing in front of the white knight with an expression free of tension. He said, "How can I help you?"


    The knight stared at him, then asked, "Have you seen a young man named Michael?"


    "Michael?" replied the trader innocently. "Sorry, I don¡¯t know that name. Who is he?"


    The knight said. "He¡¯s a wanted person. We have information that he is here."


    The trader smiled, as if trying to appear uninterested. "I can¡¯t help you; I don¡¯t deal with matters like this. Sorry Sir."


    The knight asked again. "Are you sure?"


    "If you¡¯re lying, you should know that you¡¯re dealing with a heartless killer."


    "I haven¡¯t seen him, sir, honestly."


    One of the soldiers caught up with him and whispered something before bowing and leaving.


    "You know what, Michael? I¡¯ll let you play for a while. You can keep hiding, but I will hunt you down."


    Suddenly, he stabbed the soldier who was leaving after talking to the knight.


    "Hmm."


    The knight turned to find Michael brandishing his sword at the knight¡¯s mask.


    "You think I¡¯m afraid of you? I¡¯m right in front of you; what will you do?"


    The knight laughed and decided to leave, ignoring Michael. He walked a few steps, then stopped.


    "I¡¯ll see you soon, closer than you think."


    Then he exited the house and ordered his soldiers to withdraw from the village.


    After the situation calmed down, the trader spoke.


    "What was that? Didn¡¯t I tell you to hide?"


    "I changed the plan for a better outcome."


    He continued, "Anyway, thanks for your help."


    The trader smiled. "No problem, let¡¯s not forget dinner."


    "You were told I¡¯m a killer, and you saw what happened to the soldier. Do you still want me to stay here?"


    The trader replied, "As I told you, you saved my life. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re good or not."


    Michael paused for a moment, then said, "Alright, it doesn¡¯t matter."


    After dinner, Michael prepared to leave for the Golden Kingdom the next day and packed his belongings.


    "Are you leaving now? Wait until morning."


    "No, thanks. I prefer to travel at night."


    "Alright, as you wish."


    The trader then shook Michael¡¯s hand and said, "I don¡¯t know your reasons or your story, my friend, but I¡¯m glad to have met you and wish you good luck."


    He continued, smiling, "By the way, my name is Alexander. If you ever pass by our village and need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to visit me."


    "That¡¯s fine; thank you."


    Then Michael set off toward the Golden Kingdom.


    Meanwhile, Shane arrived at the Kingdom of "Air and Wings." He smiled his devilish smile among a group of his soldiers and said, "The party starts now."

 Blood in the Wind (1)

    Meanwhile, Shane arrived at the Kingdom of Air and Wings, a small kingdom located near the Golden Kingdom.


    Shane smiled and said, "So this is the city we¡¯re going to turn upside down, right?"


    One of the soldiers spoke up, "Sir, you need to stick to the plan as the general requested."


    "Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll do it my way."


    "But sir¡ª"


    Shane then addressed the soldiers who had come with him; they were part of the organization that worked with the General and had been assigned to work under Shane''s command.


    "Listen up, soldiers, or whatever you are, you can relax. I have a plan, so don¡¯t worry. Go now to a restaurant or anywhere else and do what you want until I call for you."


    "So you want us to just sit here and do nothing?"


    "Yes, yes, it doesn¡¯t matter."


    "Alright, as you wish, sir."


    Shane went to wander around the city while the soldiers waited in another location as instructed. As he moved and looked at the buildings and sidewalks, designed to allow the wind to flow through all parts of the city, he thought, "Damn, it¡¯s cold here. How do they live like this?"


    While he was thinking, he bumped into a child running quickly.


    "Hey, watch where you¡¯re going, you fool!"


    "Sorry, sir! I¡¯m in a hurry; as you know, the event is about to start."


    Shane responded, surprised, "Event? What are you talking about?"


    The child exclaimed, "Don¡¯t you know? Prince Ando-sama will face criminal warriors, and if one defeats him, they can have any wish granted. The loser will be punished!"


    "Hmm, interesting."


    Shane smiled and said, "Alright, lead me to the way, little one."


    "Sure, sir! Follow me this way."


    After a while, Shane and the child arrived at the competition arena. There, they found a large crowd watching as guards dragged a person to the dungeon, set to be executed after losing in a duel against the prince.


    the prince appeared, a striking figure with silver hair and a confident look. He raised his sword high, and the crowd erupted in cheers. ¡°Today, we fight for justice! We fight for our kingdom!¡±


    Shane learned from the people¡¯s conversation that this kingdom had a law allowing prisoners to challenge the prince for their freedom if they won the duel. However, if they lost, they would have essentially thrown themselves to their deaths.


    At that moment, an idea struck Shane, and he smiled upon learning of such a law, as it would be a good starting point for his plan.


    "Hmm, so the challenge continues for three days. Excellent."


    Shane returned to where the soldiers were stationed and gave them some orders.


    Later, around midnight, a group of masked soldiers returned carrying cloth bags on their backs, hiding in the area. They entered the camp that had been prepared near the kingdom.


    "Sir Shane, we¡¯ve brought the bodies that were executed this morning, as you requested."


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.Shane laughed and examined the bodies, saying, "Excellent, they¡¯re still fresh."


    "Arrange the bodies in a circle on the ground."


    Then Shane stood among the bodies, "The black bones."


    The bodies began to burn, emitting a strange black aura. They started to tear apart horrifyingly, with bones emerging from their bodies, ripping through flesh, and then their color changed to black as red flames ignited within them until they turned into magical smoke, which Shane consumed.


    Shane¡¯s body was unstable and constantly renewed through this technique using the corpses.


    The next day, Shane arrived at the arena with the crowd to watch the next challenge.


    "Sir, did you come to watch the next duel? It seems our kingdom''s festival has impressed you."


    Shane turned, "Oh, is that you, kid? Yes, I¡¯m here to watch the next fight."


    Then he continued, "Tell me, do you trust your prince to protect the kingdom?"


    The child replied eagerly, "Yes, definitely! He¡¯s Ando-sama, the strongest person I¡¯ve seen, and he can defeat all enemies!"


    Shane smiled, "Oh, that¡¯s wonderful."


    At that moment, the challenger lost, and the people began to cheer for the prince. It seemed his people were very proud of him.


    While Prince Ando was greeting the crowd, Shane interrupted him.


    "Excuse me, sir, for the interruption, but may I challenge you to a duel?"


    "What are you saying? That¡¯s impossible; the challenge is for fighting criminals."


    Shane laughed ominously, "Don¡¯t tell me all these shows are just silly performances to boost your value in front of your people."


    The prince got angry but kept calm. "As I told you, I only face criminals because I don''t want to hurt normal people."


    Shane smiled. "Hmm, so you say that the fight is only for criminals."


    Shane raised his hand and launched a magic attack at the head of the child in front of him, dropping him dead in that moment.


    People started to panic, but he said, "No one move! Anyone who moves will be killed in a second." then he launched other magic attacks that killed other people because they tried to escape


    The crowd stopped moving, panic evident on their faces.


    Shane laughed and said, "Well, am i a criminal now? One of your people is killed in front of you and everyone is watching. What will you do now?"


    The prince spoke angrily, "You want a challenge? Then you will get it, and you will pay the price!"


    Shane laughed. "So you will fight me? Very well! I thought you would withdraw."


    Then he continued, "You know something? I will not only defeat you; I will make your people see you as helpless and weak, unable to do anything to protect them."


    Shane then stepped into the arena, and his soldiers appeared to surround the place, preventing the prince''s guards from interfering and ensuring that the audience couldn¡¯t escape through magical walls.


    The fight would begin shortly during the cheers and chants of the people for the prince.

 Blood in the wind (2)

    Shane and the prince stood in the arena, and now the battle was about to begin amidst the crowd cheering for the prince to defeat the intruder and his soldier In a fit of rage, the prince launched an immediate attack without waiting or any preliminaries.


    "Blue Falcon Feathers!"


    A barrage of flying spears infused with the element of wind struck Shane at high speed, but he activated his "Red Spider" technique, which possessed a range of offensive and defensive capabilities. A series of spider-like limbs emerged from Shane''s back, deflecting the prince''s spears. Then he charged aggressively at the prince, delivering a series of rapid blows with his limbs. However, the prince was skilled and quick, parrying all the strikes before surrounding himself with a magical aura of wind energy.


    "You seem quite skilled," Shane said with a mocking smile.


    "You haven''t seen anything yet," the prince replied.


    Suddenly, the prince surprised Shane and struck him quickly with his sword on the side of his liver, causing him to drop to his knees, clutching the wound.


    Prince Ando stood over Shane, saying, "I will end you now, you filthy demon. You are powerless now."


    Shane laughed and replied sarcastically, "Tell that to yourself; you''re the one in trouble, kid."


    "Hmm, you''re on the ground waiting for your death like a rat. I''ll cut you down any moment now."


    Shane rose, holding his wound, and pointed with a grin to the ground where the prince stood.


    Ando was shocked to realize he was standing on a magical circle. Before he could move away, Shane activated his "Magic Binding" technique, the same one he used in his fight against the general.


    Shane laughed hysterically, "I''ve got you now!" Then he attacked with his bloody, sharp claws while the prince tried to defend against the blows without his magic.


    "Damn, cheap trick!"


    Ando continued to defend against the onslaught, sustaining multiple injuries all over his body until the technique expired, allowing him to regain his magical powers. He activated the wind aura again and engaged fiercely this time, clashing his sword infused with wind against Shane''s bloody weapons.


    Amidst the clash and strikes, the prince spoke, "So your pathetic trick relied on surprise through your technique, but unfortunately, it''s not enough to kill me."


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.Shane smirked cunningly, "My technique is a surprise plan, my friend. You haven''t seen anything yet; the real horror will begin soon."The prince replied defiantly and confidently, "Then bring it on."


    Twenty years before the current battle and the catastrophe of Shane''s attack, a disaster occurred that affected the course of the kingdom and its people, especially Prince Ando, who belonged to the royal family that wielded and controlled the Winds of Light and Darkness to serve the kingdom. This wind power was linked to a legendary dragon named "Riga." This dragon, believed to be the form of the power of the winds, lived in the celestial world of "Yume."


    Ando''s ancestors had forged the contract with the Winds of Light and Darkness, which included loyalty to the dragon Riga. It was believed that this loyalty would ensure the protection of the kingdom from enemies and grant the royal family the ability to summon the powers of the winds in critical times.


    King Eisan, Prince Ando''s father, was one of the best wind manipulators, the only one known in modern times to control both types of winds. He was keen on teaching his son all the traditions and techniques of the winds, as well as sharing manuscripts and techniques unknown to many in the royal family. He aimed to create a legacy for Ando after his death, especially after the turmoil in the Great Building of Realms caused by the "Eien Hakai" faction.


    He knew that such an incident would disrupt the upper leadership of the three Realms, and the chaos would create turmoil in the relatively small kingdoms. Therefore, he began preparing armies at the borders and shelters for the population.


    He used the Winds of Darkness and summoned through it the dragon''s claws¡ªmonsters resembling dragons¡ªand ordered them to protect the kingdom until his return. He decided to intervene in the war occurring in the Building of Worlds after its fall to contain the situation and prevent "Eien Hakai" from doing something crazier.


    There, King Eisan met the "General," and a clash occurred.


    What happened afterward remains a mystery; the announcement of the king''s death was made, and then all members of the royal family succumbed to an illness one after another. Only Prince Ando survived, perhaps because he was the only one capable of wielding the Winds of Darkness.


    He was quickly appointed as the ruler of the kingdom while still in shock. Additionally, the ruler of the Green World issued a decree making the Kingdom of Air and Wings subordinate to the Golden Kingdom.


    At that time, Ando realized that something strange had happened and that he needed to understand more about the dragon Riga, the powers of the winds, and exactly what happened


    Shine spoke, "Are you distracted? If you do that, you will be killed." Then he attacked, trying to stab the prince, but he avoided it and attacked Shine with a wind style.


    ¡°Just worry about yourself, devil"

 Blood in the wind (3)

    Prince Ando stepped aside at the edge of the arena and directed a magical strike toward the sky.


    ¡°Air Crystal!¡±


    He activated his technique, causing a whirlwind to appear in the sky, and devastating storms began to unfold throughout the area. These were not ordinary winds; they were cursed winds that weakened the magical energy in the surroundings, except for the user''s energy.


    The winds were extremely destructive and catastrophic; fortunately, the arena and the spectators were separated by a magical barrier, something Ando had noted before activating the technique.


    Shane, covering his face with his arm to shield against the winds, said, ¡°This is amazing. Your technique is a bit showy.¡±


    With a gesture of his sword, the prince intensified the air to the point that it turned into cutting blades, which began to injure Shane across his body.


    ¡°It¡¯s over now,¡± the prince spoke confidently in a majestic manner amidst the storm, while Shane struggled to defend himself as the attacks came from all directions, and his bleeding and wounds worsened.


    The soldiers began to wonder if Shane was in trouble and whether they should change the plan, but they continued to observe the fight and follow orders nonetheless.


    Shane tried to gather his strength despite the effects of his wounds and the diminishing level of magical energy he could unleash.


    ¡°Red Spider!¡±


    Shane revealed bloody spider limbs, though they were not at full power. He tried to use the blood he was losing from his wounds as a means to slightly enhance the strength of the technique as a backup solution.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m finished, huh?¡± Shane said.


    He then launched a direct attack and re-engaged in combat with the prince. The two continued exchanging attacks and defenses, with Shane being the weaker party in the confrontation.


    Minutes passed in this state until the intensity of the air began to diminish, and the cutting power of the winds weakened, reducing their harmful effects.


    The prince suddenly felt tired, realizing he wasn¡¯t well and couldn¡¯t fend off Shane¡¯s attacks as he had just a few minutes ago. He retreated to the edge of the arena, breathing heavily and struggling, then collapsed to his knees, coughing up blood.


    At that moment, Shane smiled and laughed mockingly, saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, little prince? Are you tired already? Do you want to take a break? What happened to your strong winds? Haha!¡±


    The prince replied, struggling to breathe and coughing, ¡°It¡¯s poison. When did you do this?¡±


    Shane retorted mockingly, ¡°Since the first wound you took in the fight. The outcome was decided from the beginning, as I told you before. How does it feel to be powerless and weak? No matter what you do now, the poison will ultimately finish you.¡±


    The prince strained himself, attempting to rise, then made a nearly invisible swift move and attacked with his sword, but Shane dodged the attack and struck the prince on the head with his elbow, knocking him to the ground.


    However, the prince grasped the ground with his left hand and leaped, raising his right hand to concentrate his energy into a weapon shape and lunged at Shane¡¯s heart, but it struck the lung instead and didn¡¯t severely injure Shane because Ando¡¯s grip was weakened by the poison.


    Shane pushed the prince¡¯s arm away and pressed down hard until he broke it, causing the prince great pain. He then looked at him with a devilish smile, saying, ¡°Look at you trying your last desperate attempts. Don¡¯t forget the symptoms of the poison; they will only get worse. This is truly amusing.¡±


    The prince quickly pulled out a fire bomb with his other hand and exploded it in Shane¡¯s face, igniting him in flames. Then he kicked Shane hard and quickly retreated to another side of the arena, forming a small rock wall to temporarily shield himself.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Shane screamed after brushing off the flames, his face suffering some burns, ¡°How annoying! How long will you keep running? But it doesn¡¯t matter; the poison will end you anyway.¡±


    There was one thing Prince Ando had not tried yet.


    After the collapse of the Great Building of Realms, in the middle of the fires and destruction left by the war, while the conflict continued with the forces of "Eien Hakai," King Eisan confronted the leader known as the General.


    King Eisan spoke with a smile and calmness, ¡°What a mess you¡¯ve made here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, Wind King, you don¡¯t seem like you came to fight.¡±


    ¡°Did you figure that out? You¡¯ve gained experience in the field of war quickly for your age.¡±


    ¡°So what brings you here anyway? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not interested in attacking your kingdom at the moment.¡±


    King Eisan laughed, ¡°I know you won¡¯t attack; time is against you. Arthur¡¯s return is imminent.¡±


    ¡°How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°I was summoned here by a direct order from the three rulers. Guess what they want?¡±


    ¡°Support to stop us.¡±


    ¡°Wrong. The Great Building¡¯s affairs are over. They are now exploiting the opportunity to settle scores with some opponents from the kingdoms. Think about it: why summon the Wind King, the Demon Prince, and others to fight in chaos caused by a war that has already ended?¡±


    ¡°Then why do they want to get rid of you? What¡¯s the benefit of telling me this?¡±


    ¡°Because I know a lot about Arthur and the sealed Gates of Heaven.¡±


    The General¡¯s expression changed at that moment, and he continued to listen.


    ¡°Especially the last gate of heaven that has been monitored. I also gathered information about all of them thanks to a network of agents in the three realms. But what happened is that we were betrayed by the dragon Riga due to the contract with him; he has the ability to hear and know everything that members of the Wind Clan think, or as they like to call us, the Lower Wind Clan. Apparently, the dragon has decided to abandon the Lower Clan and only ally with the Upper Clan.¡±


    ¡°So how will they get rid of you?¡±


    ¡°For the members of the Lower Clan, the royal family of the kingdom, the dragon will indeed dispose of them through the curse. As for me, the situation is a bit different because I possess the Winds of Darkness; I can reverse the effect of the curse on myself. The same applies to my son; the curse doesn¡¯t affect him, but he will likely be used as a front to rule the kingdom.¡±


    At that moment, a terrifying figure approached; it was the ruler of the Underworld.


    King Eisan said, ¡°Look, it seems he has indeed come.¡±


    The General drew his weapon and prepared to fight, ¡°We will protect you in exchange for the information you possess.¡±


    ¡°No need for that; I¡¯m not interested in staying alive to see my clan die one by one. My fate is already sealed; they will pursue me no matter how far I run.¡±


    He continued, ¡°Therefore, I will make their nightmare a reality. Take these manuscripts; they speak of Arthur¡¯s Circle of Eternity and also the secrets of some entities of the Gates of Heaven. You won¡¯t find this information anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°Listen, in years to come, I will attack the kingdoms, and your kingdom may be part of it, even if your son is the ruler. But don¡¯t worry; I will try to avoid harming the innocent as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Did I tell you not to attack? Do as you wish regarding my son; my role has ended with training him to be independent. I don¡¯t care which path he takes afterward. just don''t harm the innocent people because they have nothing to do with these problems¡±


    The king handed the General the manuscripts and said, ¡°I wonder how they will react when they learn from the dragon that the secrets of eternity have indeed fallen into the hands of ¡®Eien Hakai.¡¯¡±


    At that moment, the General departed with his forces, and then the Demon Ruler of the underworld arrived, where he killed the king and searched for the manuscripts in his corpse but found nothing.


    ¡°He took them already. Damn it!¡±


    The battle between Shane and Prince Ando approached its climax.


    In the moments Ando was hiding using the wall magic , he pulled out a piece of paper bearing strange symbols in the celestial language and began to recite incomprehensible words. He demonstrated his ultimate move, the Winds of Darkness, the fangs of the dragon Riga, pieces of the original spirit.


    ¡°Ah, it seems you¡¯ve finally come out, rat. What¡¯s this? A desperate final technique? No matter; I¡¯ll make sure to bury you here now.¡±

 Blood in the wind (4)

    At that very moment, just after Shane finished speaking, a gate appeared next to him, and from it came a blast of air with tremendous pressure. It struck him forcefully, slamming him into the arena wall, causing an injury and bleeding from his head.


    Shane, stunned, muttered, "Damn, what the hell was that thing that hit me?"


    He then noticed a creature resembling a dragon emerging from the gate. It had a tail and legs, moving with incredible speed, and it struck Shane in the stomach with such force that blood poured from his mouth.


    Shane rose once again and found himself surrounded by a large number of these creatures.


    "So, these annoying things are your last trick? Fine."


    Shane activated his blood spider limbs and attacked one of the creatures, expanding his attack and slicing it apart. However, when the creature was cut, it exploded with a huge air blast, similar to the one that occurred when it first emerged from the gate. Shane was thrown to the ground again.


    There were far too many of these creatures, and if things continued like this, Shane would be completely drained and fall.


    His patience was running thin, and it seemed he wanted to end this quickly with a massacre.


    "Damn, this isn''t fun anymore. I¡¯m done. I¡¯ll end this nuisance now."


    "Red Cloud!"


    This time, the blood used in his technique was mixed with poison at a very high concentration, much stronger than before. He also expanded the range of the cloud to cover the entire arena. The poisoned blood formed chains with sharp blades, each blade containing concentrated venom.


    "Come to me now, insects!"


    Shane moved quickly and began slicing through the creatures one by one.


    Prince Ando, knowing Shane would find a way to deal with the dragons, stayed hidden. He moved slowly and quietly, reducing his breathing to slow the poison¡¯s effect. Using wind magic, he pushed the gas from the Red Cloud away to avoid inhaling it. He was biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and end Shane with one deadly blow.


    Sure enough, the opportunity came when Shane lost his balance due to the air explosion from one of the dragons as he sliced it apart.


    At that moment, Ando leaped from his hiding spot with incredible speed and launched his signature attack.


    "Great Dark Winds, First Dragon¡¯s Hand!"


    A massive dragon¡¯s claw appeared, its enormous, square-shaped talons emerging from the place where Ando¡¯s arm had been.


    Shane noticed the enormous attack coming towards him but was off balance in the air, with no chance to defend or dodge it.


    "Damn, what the hell is that?!"


    The claw struck Shane with immense force, and the prince drove the talons deep into Shane¡¯s body, rendering him immobile. Shane began to collapse, and it seemed he would need new corpses soon to survive.


    "What is this? How did it come to this damn situation?" Shane muttered as he felt his strength fading.


    It seemed the battle was nearing its end. One of them was about to fall¡ªeither Shane from the dragon''s claws, or Prince Ando from the poison running through his veins, worsened by the Red Cloud gas.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The prince, barely able to speak, said through gritted teeth, "What do you think now, you filthy devil? It¡¯s over now."


    Shane, grimacing in pain and struggling to speak, replied, "You talk as if you won¡¯t be coming after me, too, little prince."


    Shane tried to escape from the dragon''s claws somehow. Suddenly, sharp, bloodthirsty weapons emerged and stabbed into the claw. More weapons continued to appear from the Red Cloud, and Shane kept stabbing the claw, injecting it with as much poison as he could muster.


    But the prince kept screaming, enduring the pain and the poison with furious rage, pushing the claws deeper into Shane.


    "Black Winds, Dragon Riga, The Final Winds!"


    At that moment, the prince saw an image of Dragon Riga, speaking to him.


    "Enough, Prince. I will no longer lend my strength to the lower family."


    The prince was puzzled. "But why?"


    "That¡¯s how it is. You must accept it. I¡¯ve given you more than you deserve."


    And then the dragon started to disappear.


    "Damn it, where are you going? Come back here!"


    The prince spoke bitterly and angrily, "Damn it, he betrayed us. He wanted to kill us from the start of the contract!"


    Even the hand he had obtained was the result of the prince''s own efforts, using his skills and the Dark Wind energy that he had learned from his father.


    Then, he remembered a saying his father had always repeated to him, which he had never fully understood.


    "Never trust dragons."


    The prince continued to fight with everything he had left, but the claw began to melt. Its color changed, and pieces of bone and flesh started to fall off it, rotting and disintegrating completely.


    Sadly, the prince could not continue the fight or maintain the claw due to the poison. The Dragon''s Hand had completely deteriorated.


    Despite still holding his sword and attacking Shane one last time, the prince collapsed, his strength drained.


    He fell like a true warrior, fighting until the very end, proudly facing his people.


    The announcement was made that he had lost. Shane had won.


    Shane approached the prince, still not believing that he had finally won. With a devilish smile, he pulled out a blood-soaked spear and prepared to finish him off.


    "Goodbye, you wretch. I never expected you to cause me all this trouble."


    At that moment, one of the soldiers spoke up, "Sir, they¡¯ve declared the fight over. If you kill him now, you¡¯ll break the rules. Have you forgotten?"


    "I don¡¯t care. I want to kill him," Shane replied.


    The soldier hesitated, "Sir, this will cause a lot of problems. The Golden Kingdom will react quickly, and this won¡¯t please the General."


    "Ha! Damn it, fine."


    Shane added, "Give him the antidote I prepared and expel him from the kingdom immediately. Then clean up this mess and handle the remaining procedures, like the surrender documents. I¡¯ll go now to contact the General."


    "Understood, sir."


    The soldiers used a magic circle to neutralize the poison in the prince and instructed him to leave the kingdom immediately.


    As the prince stood, Shane kicked him as he was rising. "Rejoice, you scoundrel. I spared your life. Now leave here, immediately."


    The prince walked out slowly, under the watchful eyes of his fearful yet grateful people. As he walked, they cheered his name. Shane, however, killed a few people to stop the riots and clashes with the soldiers.


    Shane ordered the soldiers to bring the bodies to the royal palace and wait for his return, as he had been delayed in contacting the General.


    Meanwhile, Prince Ando, who had already left, muttered under his breath, "Shane, Dragon Riga, you will pay. I will show you a hell like you¡¯ve never seen before."


    At that moment, Shane entered an empty room in the castle and contacted the General using a long-distance telepathic magic technique to inform him that the mission was complete.


    "Hey, General, the mission is done. Things got a little crazy, but we¡¯ve got the situation under control now."


    "Why did you disobey orders? Your recklessness caused a huge mess, and why did you kill innocents? I specifically told you not to do that," the General said angrily.


    Shane stammered, clearly worried, "I¡¯m sorry, sir, I thought¡­"


    "Shut up! I don¡¯t want to hear your excuses. Just follow the damn instructions!" the General snapped.


    "Okay, understood, sir," Shane replied nervously.


    The General continued, "I promised the former king I wouldn¡¯t harm his people, but you¡¯ve ruined that."


    "I¡¯m really sorry, General," Shane apologized.


    "Apologize to the people, and build a memorial statue for the victims in the kingdom. That¡¯s the least we can do because of your damn mistakes," the General ordered.


    "Okay, General, I understand."


    "The most important thing now is to increase the human resources in your forces. Recruit the elite after they¡¯ve been trained, and trust them as soldiers within the organization. And make sure it doesn''t get out that you''re currently working for the organization, as this will slow down the movements of the others. They''ll discover it eventually, but at least we¡¯ll gain time to strengthen our branches. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, sir. Understood."


    Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, in one of the hideouts of "Eien Hakai," the General was preparing for the next move after receiving a report from one of his aides at the headquarters.

 THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS TOURNAMENT

    Michael finally arrived at the capital of the Golden Kingdom, a city said to be built from the kingdom''s ancient, sacred gold. The towers and rooftops reflected the light in a smooth, enchanting way. Enormous walls surrounded the city, adorned with intricate engravings that told stories of the kingdom''s glorious past.


    A grand event was about to take place: the crowning of a new knight to join the ranks of the Golden Knights, the legendary protectors of the Golden Kingdom. These knights had safeguarded the kingdom through countless dangers, becoming the pillars that upheld the glory and might of one of the greatest kingdoms in the Green World.


    The kingdom had decided to open the competition for a new knight, a place among the six elite knights, after one of the current knights retired due to an injury that left him unable to move or fight. He felt he had become a burden to them and withdrew, choosing instead to return to his distant village to live out the remainder of his days in peace, after having given all he could to serve and protect the kingdom.


    One of the knights, Captain Orus, known as "The Swift Lightning," tried to persuade his retiring friend, Bryan, the Guardian.


    "Are you sure, my friend? Are you sure you want to retire? Why not stay? You won''t be a burden, I promise. On the contrary, your experience and the skills you''ve mastered over the years could be invaluable. You could teach the soldiers; help them benefit from all you''ve learned."


    Bryan responded calmly, his gaze distant as he packed his things.


    "No, my friend. It''s time to give others the chance to prove themselves, to show their worth. The time for fresh blood has come."


    He paused for a moment, looking at his old, battered silver armor, the very one he had received when he first joined the Golden Knights.


    Orus spoke again, sensing he could not change his friend''s mind.


    "You''re the type who never changes. You''ve always been this way. But at least, won''t you come and watch the competition? See who wins before you leave?"


    Bryan continued to pack, shaking his head.


    "As I told you, I''ve retired, my friend. I''m tired of seeing the battles. I''ve already booked my carriage; the journey will leave before the competition, anyway."


    "Well, if that''s what you want. I wish you the best of luck."


    Later that evening, Michael wandered through the streets of the Golden Kingdom, eager to explore the city before the competition began. Since he had arrived early, he took the time to observe the participants and gather some information that might be useful. The streets were bustling with energy. He could hear the hum of preparation all around him as the city seemed to pulse with anticipation for the coming challenge.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    That night, after dinner alone in the competitors¡¯ dining hall, Michael returned to his room at the participant¡¯s hotel, his mind filled with thoughts of the upcoming trials.


    The next morning, the participants gathered for the opening speech from Captain Orus, the leader of the Golden Knights.


    "Greetings to all the participants and warriors from all corners of the world. Welcome to the Golden Kingdom, home to the warriors and heroes who have built this kingdom with their efforts and sacrifices, and whose legacy has endured through the ages. Today, it is my honor to announce, with great pride, the challenge for a new Golden Knight to join our ranks. This challenge will determine the next hero who will become part of our team, to fight for the glory of the Golden Kingdom. So give it your all, and prove who among you is worthy of victory."


    He paused for a moment, allowing the weight of his words to sink in before continuing.


    "Now, I will hand over the stage to Lady Iliana, the Golden Knight of Fire, who will explain the trials you will face, as well as the rules and instructions you need to follow throughout the tournament."


    Orus motioned toward a young woman standing beside him. She was clad in fiery red armor, glowing with an intense heat, and an aura of power seemed to radiate from her. Iliana stepped forward to address the competitors.


    "Thank you all for being here. First, you will be divided into teams of three. You will face several challenges as a team, but know this: the winner of this competition will be only one person."


    She paused, her gaze sweeping over the crowd.


    "In the first challenge, each of you will receive an artifact in the shape of a star. This means each team will have three stars. You will be placed in a forest, and your goal is to reach point B from point A with at least two stars still in your possession. You will lose stars if they are destroyed by enemies or competitors, or if a participant dies¡ªif that happens, the star will shatter automatically."


    One of the participants raised his hand and asked cautiously,


    "Death? Do you mean that participants can kill each other?"


    Iliana''s expression remained cold and stern as she replied,


    "Certainly. What did you expect? This competition is not for the faint of heart or the ordinary. Those who enter must understand that they may lose their lives. If you die, it means you are not fit to endure the hardships of being a Golden Knight. Those who wish to withdraw have the opportunity to do so, but only at the end of the first or third stages."


    After she finished speaking, several participants withdrew, having believed that the competition would protect them from fatal injuries if they occurred

 The Blue Forest Race

    After some participants withdrew with some noise and chatter, Iliana waited for them to leave. Once everyone had calmed down, she continued speaking,


    "As I was saying, we will send you the details and the names of your team members in messages to your rooms. The first test will begin tomorrow morning. That''s all, thank you for listening."


    At that moment, Michael noticed one of the participants from afar¡ªa massive knight in shining white armor with a giant magical axe, wearing a mask with the symbol "V." This was the knight who had been chasing Michael since he left the T¨­kui-d¨­ cave and had also let him leave that village for some reason.


    Michael thought to himself, "What does he want? Did he follow me here, or does he have other priorities now? No matter, I''ll deal with him later."


    The participants then began returning to their accommodations in preparation for the next day. A few hours after their return, they started receiving messages in their rooms containing a thank-you note, writings about the kingdom''s rich history, information and rules about the competition, and the names of their team members.


    Michael read the rules and instructions, then discarded the rest of the papers without concern, as long as he didn''t find the strange knight on his team. He didn''t care about the other participants. He had one thing to focus on now: winning the competition and advancing to a golden knight. Dealing with that knight was a secondary matter, and it wasn''t the time for distractions.


    The next morning, the participants gathered again to announce the start of the first challenge, "The Blue Forest Race."


    Two participants approached Michael, and one of them said, "You must be Michael, our teammate. It''s good to meet you. I''m Alfred, and this is Lala. Let''s work hard together."


    Michael responded indifferently, "Okay."


    Lala whispered to Alfred, "What a strange person."


    Alfred smiled and spoke with a light laugh, knowing that Michael could hear them because she didn''t lower her voice, "Maybe he''s just introverted or shy, haha."


    The team then went to area A, where the challenge would begin. The three of them headed north into the forest, with Michael leading, followed by Alfred and Lala, who were trying to talk to him.


    "Hey Michael, do you mind telling us why we''re moving so quickly and where we''re headed?"


    Lala added,


    "Yes, that''s right. If we keep moving like this, we''ll become easy targets for enemies."


    Michael replied, "Just keep moving."


    "What are you saying? At least explain what you''re thinking," Alfred responded angrily.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. But to no avail, Michael continued moving without responding, which frustrated Alfred and Lala. They decided to stop at a hill and told Michael they would leave him and move on their own if he didn''t discuss plans with them and that they needed to work as a team. Knights work as a team, not alone.


    Lala told him that they were two members of the team, and he was one, meaning they had two stars while he had one. He needed them, not the other way around.


    Michael replied,


    "Do whatever you want, it doesn''t matter," and then moved west of the hill.


    Alfred told Lala that they wouldn''t move west, as the path Michael took was continuous rocky chains with dangerous terrain and no places to hide. They would move east into the dense forest and trees that provided cover.


    Lala responded, "This is really strange. Michael is an offensive fighter with a sword, but he overlooks such details."


    Alfred said, "Well, some enthusiastic individuals get arrogant with their strength and think they can''t be defeated, so they don''t consider hiding or ambushing quietly."


    They continued moving into the heart of the forest.


    After a few hours of moving, Lala sensed someone following them. Alfred asked her to keep tracking the person through sensing while he prepared and charged his thunder fists.


    "They''re there, on the side."


    A warrior appeared, wielding an assassination weapon in his arms. Alfred struck her hard, but she cast a shield spell to block the thunder attack, then moved again at lightning speed. Before Lala could warn Alfred, a smoke explosion occurred, blinding them and making it difficult to move. They could only focus on the glowing yellow eyes appearing from the smoke, resembling those of nocturnal predators. Then, the sound of arrows emerged from the smoke, paralyzing them. They had been sniped from a distance.


    After they fell and the smoke cleared, the warrior reappeared and tied them with magical ropes. She then called out to the sniper and the smoke jammer, telling them she had captured them. The sniper said, "Good, we''ve caught two from this team. Get rid of them quickly, and another team will be out of the competition."


    Alfred shouted angrily, "Damn you, cowards, with your cheap tricks. Fight me bravely if you dare!"


    The warrior replied mockingly,


    "Stop whining, you lost sheep. Don''t you know why this competition is held in a forest? It''s for assassination by any means. If they wanted a fair, direct duel, they would have used a regular arena. Do you understand, little one?"


    "So, you were the ones following us. How many teams have you killed this way, you amateurs?" Everyone turned to see Michael on a tree, speaking.


    The sniper was furious, "Amateurs? What do you mean, you bastard?"


    Michael replied, "Your killing methods are primitive, that''s what I mean."


    The warrior said, "Amateurs, huh? Look at yourself and your team. You couldn''t even create balance in your team and let these fools walk into the trap on their own."


    "Team? I''m not talking about any team. I said you''re amateur killers," Michael responded.


    The sniper said, "What are you babbling about, you lunatic? Hey, you, get rid of these two rats quickly, then we¡ª"


    Before he could finish his sentence, Michael appeared in a flash and sliced him in half with his claymore.


    When the second warrior noticed, he activated the smoke technique, but it stopped immediately as Michael rushed and stabbed his neck with a dagger, killing him instantly.


    The remaining warrior was in shock and didn''t comprehend what had happened until she found her arm severed by a fire slash that appeared out of nowhere.


    Terrified and in a state of shock, she began to beg for her life.

 Why do you want to be a golden knight ?

    With a terrified face and in a state of shock, she began to beg for her life. Michael was about to kill her, but she said at that moment,


    "Please listen, I have informations that might be useful to you. Read it, it''s in the bag, then decide."


    Michael freed Alfred and Lala, then asked Alfred to open the bag, take out the papers, and bring them to him. Alfred opened the bag while Michael kept an eye on her.


    "If it''s a trap, I''ll cut off your head."


    "No, no, honestly," she replied.


    "Michael, I found the papers, here they are," Alfred said.


    Michael took the papers and began to examine them. The warrior then spoke,


    "These papers contain information in the form of maps and routes for all areas in this exam, as well as in the Golden Kingdom and its surroundings. In short, they are very detailed maps that could be sold at very high prices. Additionally, there is information about the strongest warriors in this tournament, including the one called the Moon Wolf and also the leader ''V,'' the White Knight."


    Michael became interested when she mentioned the White Knight''s name and asked,


    "How did you get such information, and the same goes for the maps?"


    The warrior replied that she worked with people specialized in investigation, whose work might be considered illegal. They are professionals in gathering information and also designing building maps, which are prepared on demand, especially for thieves who want detailed maps of the buildings they plan to rob.


    Michael looked closely at the papers, and after finishing, he decided to release her. He then told her privately to ask the people she worked with to design a map for a specific building.


    She told him it was a difficult task, especially for such places, and it might take two months. Michael told her he would wait and warned her against breaking the agreement because he would find her wherever she went. He was a professional assassin and could do that.


    She assured him she wouldn''t and would tell the gang members that the request was from a client who didn''t want to reveal his identity. She then withdrew and left the place.


    Michael spoke to Alfred and Lala, "Let''s move, we''re late now."


    "Okay, thanks for saving us. We didn''t notice the danger and thought you were reckless in going the other way," Alfred said.


    After some time of moving and fighting the tree monsters that appeared throughout the forest, with Alfred and Lala using their thunder and ice powers, they had made good progress so far. Now, the three of them stopped to rest.


    "Don''t let your guard down, keep watching," Michael said.


    While they were sitting, Alfred pulled out a golden dagger and began cleaning it and looking at it. Lala spoke, "It''s a beautiful dagger, where did you get it?"


    Alfred smiled sadly and said, "This thing is the last memory of my teacher who trained and raised me."


    Lala, thinking her question had upset Alfred, said, "I''m sorry if my question bothered you."


    Alfred replied, "No, it''s okay. In fact, I can tell you what happened. It''s what made me come to this competition in the first place."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I and my teacher Fenwick used to work as usual in trading goods and valuable items via ships, trading between different kingdoms. One day, while we were heading to the northern kingdoms by sea, the weather was stormy in the middle of the journey. My teacher told us to adjust the sails as he had experience as a captain too. After ten minutes of the storm, he spoke to me and said, ''The winds of this storm are unnatural, as if they are not real.'' ''What do you mean?'' I asked.


    ''Sir, sir,'' one of the crew members on the ship started shouting and came rushing, ''It''s a pirate ship moving quickly towards us.'' My teacher then said, ''Are the sails red and black?'' ''We haven''t confirmed yet,'' the crew member replied. Then the lookout from above shouted, ''Damn, it''s the Aka pirates.'' My teacher said, ''Damn, I knew it from the storm.''


    The pirate ship approached, and the captain of pirates and his assistant appeared, raising her hand, which showed a magical aura. It was the ability to control the weather. The pirate captain spoke, ''Hello everyone, unfortunately for you, we will take all the goods, but the good news is that we will leave you alive if you don''t resist.''


    But the merchants didn''t want that, considering it a blow to their dignity. They told the teacher that the pirates wouldn''t take anything except over their dead bodies, and the teacher agreed. The captain of pirates mocked them and ordered his assistant to get rid of them. She struck the ship with a thunderbolt, setting it on fire, and the pirates and sailors engaged in a fierce battle that led to the death of all the merchants."


    Alfred took a deep breath and continued,


    "At one point, the pirate captain stabbed my teacher and knocked him down, but he used magical sand and threw it at the cursed pirate, distracting him for a moment. He then took me and threw me into the sea from the other side of the ship after tying my hands to a piece of wood. The last thing he said to me was, ''Hold on tight and try to move north.''


    I started crying at that moment, but he smiled and told me, ''Did you forget what I told you? Cowards and crybabies don''t work on my ship.'' That was the first thing he said to me when he found me working at a port as a child and asked him for a job. That''s why I really wanted to become stronger and, why not, reach the level of a golden knight to eliminate the criminals in this world."


    Michael spoke  while arranging his equipment and reading the papers he had obtained, "Aka pirates ?, you don''t know anything about this world.


    " Alfred asked, "What do you mean?" but Michael didn''t answer and continued reading his papers.


    At that moment, Lala was standing still, seemingly lost in thought after hearing the story. She finally spoke, "Did the pirates wear red hats?"


    Alfred thought for a moment and then said, "As far as I remember, yes. How did you know that?"


    Lala began speaking with some sadness, "Those villains are the same ones who attacked my village three years ago and killed everyone in it, including my family. I even remember that when they came, the weather turned into terrifying storms and thunder that destroyed the place, and then they stole everything."


    "I''m sorry," Alfred said.


    "It''s okay. We will become stronger knights and end the era of these villains and their kind forever," Lala replied.


    Michael then stood up, hid his papers, and said, "Good and fighting evil, you really don''t know how this world works."


    Lala spoke angrily, "You repeated the same thing again, what are you saying?" Michael didn''t answer and just started moving in the next direction.


    Lala asked, "What''s wrong with him, why doesn''t he answer?"


    Alfred replied, "dont be too harsh on him. We don''t know what hell he''s been through. Let''s move now."


    The team then continued moving towards the next area of the forest.

 Battle for the last spots

    "Wait, do you hear that?" Lala said.


    Alfred responded, "What is it?" At the same time, they noticed that Michael had already drawn his sword. Lala informed them that she sensed people nearby. Michael replied, "Stay alert, no one loses focus."


    A figure emerged from the trees, moving swiftly and attempting to attack Alfred with a magical claw strike, but Michael quickly intercepted the blow with his sword.


    "Behind you, quickly!" he shouted.


    Alfred and Lala turned to see two more warriors attacking them. One wielded a circular shield in one hand and a spear in the other, while the other warrior remained atop a tree, using a magical staff to enhance the strength and health of the two attacking warriors.


    The attack began with direct spear thrusts, which Lala managed to block with an ice shield. Alfred then countered with a thunder fist attack, but the warrior blocked it with his shield, which changed color and launched a counterattack, sending Alfred crashing into a nearby tree. Lala quickly followed up with an ice spike attack, but the warrior blocked it with his shield once again.


    "Damn, his shield is hard to penetrate," Lala remarked. Alfred responded, "But he only blocks from one side, so we''ll try attacking from both sides. And don''t forget about that sorceress boosting their power from the tree."


    Lala agreed, "Then we''ll attack her directly."


    Meanwhile, Michael was fighting the Moon Wolf and had already taken some hits from his magical claws due to his great speed. Michael was distracted by watching his team during the fight. "Damn, I need to get rid of him quickly before those two fall," he thought.


    Wolf shouted, "Pay attention here!" Michael disappeared from his spot and reappeared behind  Wolf, stabbing him with his dagger and injuring his shoulder. When  Wolf tried to attack Michael again, a "fire slash" appeared from the side, forcing Wolf to dodge.


    Michael quickly moved towards the other warrior fighting Alfred and Lala. He reached him swiftly, placing his foot on the shield and pushing it down, then attacked with his sword to cut off his head. But Wolf intervened at the last moment and blocked the strike. "Your fight is with me here," Wolf said.


    Michael then engaged in another clash with him.


    A voice echoed in the sky, "Attention all participants, two teams have now reached the end of the first challenge. Few spots remain, please focus and move quickly."


    Wolf mocked Michael after injuring his leg, "What''s wrong? You seem distracted. Don''t you trust your comrades?" .


    Alfred and Lala were already engaged in a fight with the other two warriors and seemed to have sustained some injuries.


    "I have no choice but to finish you here and then move to your team," Michael replied.


    "Try it then," Wolf responded.


    Michael disappeared in the blink of an eye, then "fire star" attacks appeared from all directions. Wolf, thanks to his skills, jumped up and dodged them. While in the air, Michael appeared with his daggers ablaze and struck the wolf in the liver. Wolf tried to hit Michael, but the attack was not smooth in the air. Michael then used the wolf''s giant clawed hand as leverage and stabbed him in the mouth with the second fiery dagger, narrowly missing the neck.


    Lala attacked the sorceress directly with her ice attacks, but the sorceress dodged the strikes and teleported behind Lala, hitting her with a powerful magical energy strike, causing her to fall to the ground with a severe injury. At the same time, Alfred activated his thunder fists and began attacking the warrior, who relied on his shield to block them. The warrior then struck Alfred with his spear, injuring his arm.


    "Damn, we won''t fall here," Alfred said. He struck the ground, causing a powerful thunderous roar that blinded the warrior. Alfred then used his thunder fist to surprise the warrior and punched him directly in the face, knocking him to the ground. He quickly moved to save Lala, but the shielded warrior recovered quickly thanks to the sorceress''s healing technique and threw his spear with great force, hitting Alfred in the back and piercing his chest. Blood poured from Alfred''s mouth as he fell to the ground.


    Lala, enraged by the scene while fighting the sorceress, created an ice sword and unleashed a snowstorm, quickly cutting off the sorceress''s arm holding the staff before she could cast another spell. She then struck the sorceress with an ice explosion, trapping her in an ice block. Lala left the sorceress in that state and headed towards the fallen Alfred and the warrior who had pulled his spear from Alfred to stab him a second time.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Get away from him now!" Lala shouted at the shielded warrior and launched another ice storm attack with ice spikes. Some of the spikes hit the warrior lightly as his shield had flown from his hand due to the storm''s force. Alfred gathered some strength to stand and surprise the warrior with a thunder strike, hitting his abdomen and causing a severe injury.


    "Now, Alfred, another attack and finish him off," Lala said.


    "Alright, thunder fist now," Alfred replied. Just as he was about to attack, both of them were paralyzed by a strange force. "What''s happening? I can''t move," Alfred wondered.


    "It seems to be a magical curse," Lala answered.


    "But the sorceress is trapped in ice, and the staff is not in her hand," Alfred said.


    The sorceress freed herself and spoke, "You cut off my arm, but my hand is still holding the staff. I can control it with my mind."


    "Damn," Lala cursed.


    The sorceress then used a healing spell on the other warrior.


    "Thank you. Now, get rid of them while I retrieve my shield from the top of that tree," the warrior said.


    "Alright, what is Wolf doing now?" the sorceress asked.


    "I don''t know. Did he get rid of the other warrior?" the warrior began to say before Wolf shouted from afar, "Watch out behind you!"


    The warrior turned to find Michael in front of him, who cut off a quarter of his right side. The warrior survived the full cut by moving at the last second. Michael then attacked the sorceress to stab her, but Wolf appeared and blocked the attack with his claws, though he was injured in the process. The sorceress then teleported her team to another location. In the midst of the teleportation light, Wolf said, "We''ll finish this fight later," and they disappeared from the place.


    Alfred asked, "What do we do now?" Michael replied, "Let''s move quickly. The challenge will end soon, and everyone is heading to the crossing area."


    The team started running and moving quickly between the trees. Lala sensed several warriors moving in the same direction.


    "There are many warriors, and from the nature of the magical energy, it seems they are killing each other," Lala said.


    "No doubt, few spots remain, and the killings will increase now," Alfred replied.


    They were then attacked by an explosion, which Lala blocked with an ice shield. Alfred countered with a thunder fist and killed the attacker. "Damn, I killed him,"


    . "Focus now, keep moving," Michael replied.


    At the same time, three warriors appeared nearby, using magical weapons.


    "Damn, their numbers are endless," Lala said.


    Lala attacked the first warrior and knocked him down with an ice tornado. "Watch out behind you!" Alfred shouted and pushed her aside, taking a stab in the lung from the second armed warrior.


    Michael then cut off the warrior''s head with a fire slash attack, quickly moved, and cut down the remaining warrior before he could draw his weapon. Finally, he burned the last warrior who tried to get up after Lala''s attack.


    Lala tried to bandage Alfred''s wound. Michael said, "Let''s move quickly."


    "But he''s severely injured," Lala replied.


    "It''s okay, I can move," Alfred said with difficulty.


    A voice echoed in the forest, "Attention all participants, half a minute remains before the crossing closes, and few spots are left."


    Lala said, "Come on, Alfred, hold on now. We''ll treat you after reaching the gate." They moved quickly for ten seconds and finally saw the crossing in the distance. Lala said, "Isn''t that the Wolf team? They''ve crossed the crossing."


    Alfred, pushing himself through exhaustion and injury, replied, "Damn, three spots left. Let''s move quickly."


    Suddenly, three warriors supported by wind power from one of their team members sped past them.


    "No, they''ve reached the gate. It''s impossible to catch up with them," Alfred said.


    The three wind users laughed as they reached the crossing gate, finding the Golden Knights watching the end of the first challenge


    After the three placed their feet on the line, the fire knight Iliana raised her rifle to fire the announcement shot for the competition.


    "Baaam!"


    It wasn''t the sound of the shot exploding, but rather the sound of the three heads exploding in that second, in a gruesome and terrifying scene that shocked the Golden Knights.


    At that moment, Michael, Alfred, and Lala arrived and crossed the line. Iliana fired the shot while still in shock at what had happened.


    The first round of the Golden Knights tournament had ended

 The blood jug challenge

    The leader Orus, said, "Well, this was unexpected, but the last team has arrived, and with that, the first round of the Golden Knights Championship is over."


    "Sir V, did you see what happened? Was it the target who did that?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? That scoundrel, Michael. He placed a curse on the three when they passed through him, and then detonated them from a distance."


    "Is he really that fast? I mean, no one noticed, not even the Golden Knights."


    "The leader of the knights, Orios, noticed, but didn¡¯t give it much thought. It¡¯s part of the competition, after all. In the end, there was no cheating or anything like that."


    "So, what should we do next about Michael?"


    "I¡¯ll tell you one thing: don¡¯t act on your own. You¡¯re just assistants here. I¡¯ll handle Michael myself," Knight V said, his tone growing stern. "One mistake in a fight with him, and you¡¯ll be destroyed."


    "Understood, sir. We¡¯ll prepare for the second challenge now. I¡¯ll take my leave."


    Knight V walked through the kingdom for a while, gathering his thoughts. As he strolled, he spotted Wolf with his team and made his way over to them.


    "Hello, I¡¯m Knight V, one of the participants in the competition."


    "Ah, yes. I know you. Everyone¡¯s been talking about how you''re the strongest here, but I assure you, I¡¯ll be the one who wins the title of Golden Knight," Wolf replied, confidently.


    "Very well. But that¡¯s not my concern right now," Knight V responded, his tone serious.


    He then continued, "I have a few questions for you."


    Wolf raised an eyebrow, but responded, "Alright, what do you want?"


    "You¡¯re the one who fought Michael near the edge of the Blue Forest, right?"


    "And what about it?" Wolf asked, slightly defensive.


    "I need you to tell me what happened during that fight," Knight V pressed


    Inside the royal palace, during a gathering of the knights, a palace advisor hurried in with urgent news.


    "Sir Orios, the Kingdom of Winds and Wings has changed its current prince."


    Orios looked up sharply. "What do you mean? Ando isn¡¯t the ruler there anymore? Who is the new prince?"


    "It¡¯s rumored that someone from the underworld has taken the throne after a challenge occurred there," the advisor explained.


    "I see..." Orios muttered, thinking carefully. "And what else?"


    "Also, sir, there are leaks from within the Kingdom of Winds suggesting they plan to break away from the Golden Kingdom¡¯s rule."


    Orus¡¯s face hardened. "Send someone to negotiate with them and gather official details. I want to know everything."


    "Understood, sir."


    Lala looked over at Alfred, noticing his improvement. "Seems like you¡¯ve fully recovered, Alfred."


    "Yes, fortunately. I¡¯m ready for the second challenge," Alfred replied, his eyes steely with determination.


    As they spoke, a palace messenger approached them, handing over three letters.


    "These are the summons for your team for the second challenge. You must attend at sunset. The details are in the letters."


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story."Thank you," Lala said, accepting the letters with a nod.


    Alfred glanced at the letters, then asked, "But where¡¯s Michael?"


    "He¡¯s probably in his room at the competitors'' inn," Lala suggested.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll check on him and deliver his letter," Alfred said, starting to walk away.


    "I¡¯ll come with you. We can discuss the next challenge with him," Lala said.


    "I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be in the mood for that," Alfred replied, half-smiling.


    As they made their way to the inn, they spotted Michael walking down the street ahead of them.


    "There he is, it¡¯s Michael," Lala said, pointing.


    They caught up to him quickly, and Lala spoke first. "Hello, Michael. Where have you been? How¡¯s your injury?"


    Michael glanced at them briefly before asking, "Did the challenge letter arrive?"


    "Yes, here it is. Take it," Alfred replied, handing him the letter.


    Michael took the letter and opened it carefully. The paper rustled as he read:


    "Second Challenge: The Blood Jug. Gather your teams at sunset in front of the main palace courtyard. Spill blood, don¡¯t lose blood, and pass to the next challenge with your mind intact."


    Lala raised an eyebrow. "What do they mean by ¡®pass with your mind intact¡¯?"


    Alfred shrugged, clearly unsure. "I¡¯m not sure. Maybe they¡¯ll explain the details later."


    Michael folded the letter. "Let¡¯s move. We need to be there on time."


    As the sun began to set, the participants gathered in the palace courtyard as instructed. A tense quiet hung in the air as they waited for the next challenge to begin.


    The fire knight, Iliana, stepped forward, her voice carrying over the crowd.


    "Congratulations to those of you who won the first challenge and will continue with us into the second: The Blood Jug."


    She paused, scanning the faces of the participants. "I remind you that withdrawal is not an option. You agreed to this when you entered the competition."


    Her eyes glinted with excitement as she continued, "For the second challenge, you will remain in your teams. However, you will be transported to the Hallucination Cave, a strange and dangerous place outside the kingdom, in an abandoned area. Each team will have a counter¡ªa jug. This time, you will not be sent to the same location as a team. Each of you will be sent to a random spot."


    She gestured toward the jug held in her hands. "Every time you kill a monster, a person, or cause them to bleed, the blood will be collected in your jug. When it is full, the blood will spill out and open a portal leading to the end of the challenge."


    "The jug is tied to your team''s lives. Any injury you sustain will decrease the amount of blood in your jug. You¡¯ll know if your teammates are in trouble by the amount of blood left."


    Iliana¡¯s voice softened slightly. "Good luck. The transport will happen shortly."


    Alfred turned to the others. "Listen up. We¡¯ll use Lala¡¯s sensing ability to locate each other quickly and regroup."


    Lala nodded. "Trust me, I¡¯ll find you all."


    Michael adjusted his stance. "Make sure you get to me quickly. I don¡¯t want the same kind of obstacles we had in the last challenge."


    "We¡¯ll work as a team, don¡¯t worry," Alfred reassured him.


    With a sudden flash of light, they were all transported to the Hallucination Cave, a place so twisted and dangerous that those who enter often do not emerge with their sanity intact

 the Hallucination Cave a terrible experience : day one

    In the middle of the dense darkness, the Hallucination Cave was a strange and unusual place. The ground and walls moved as if they were breathing, surrounded by a thick fog with a strange smell.


    Alfred, who found himself in a dark place alone while exploring, wondered,


    "What is this place? I can''t see clearly. I need to find fire or something similar."


    After a while, he found a stick and lit it by striking it against a sharp rock, then continued to advance into the depths of the cave. After a short time, Alfred began to hear a whisper, "What is this? Who''s there?"


    "There''s no one, maybe I''m imagining things."


    Then a scary, strange head appeared in front of him, screaming terrifyingly, then disappeared.


    "Damn, what is this thing? Am I hallucinating? I feel like my head is heavy."


    "I need to move quickly and find Lala and Michael."


    He continued walking aimlessly until he felt tired and sat down in front of a rock to rest.


    " I''m tired. How much time has passed? I feel like I''ve been walking for weeks."


    " will I keep waiting like this? Lala said she would find us quickly."


    "Wait, who is Lala? , I''m hallucinating, and my head is confused."


    "I''ll try to sleep a little, then wake up to focus better."


    Alfred lay down on a piece of cloth from his bag and tried to sleep, but the voices in the cave, or maybe in his mind, screamed, "Don''t sleep, don''t sleep, don''t sleep, don''t sleep."


    "Damn, shut up, voices. What is this? How long have I been lying here?"


    "Why are the walls and ground swapping places and moving?  I feel dizzy." Then Alfred felt nauseous and began to vomit.


    "Are you still getting nauseous, Alfred, even after all these trips? Haha, after you finish, come and change the sail direction with me."


    Alfred turned around, startled, as he heard a familiar voice.


    "James, is that you?" It was indeed his colleague who worked with him on the captain''s crew where Alfred worked. Alfred asked him,


    "What are you doing here?"


    He replied, "Haha, what are you saying? Have you gone mad? What are you talking about? The sea doesn''t suit you, my friend. No matter, come and help us fix the sail quickly."


    "Okay, I''m coming right away." Then he realized, "Wait a minute, you''re not real. You died in the battle against the Aka pirates."


    James began to scream at him terrifyingly and started to deform in a horrifying and scary way, then said in a frightening voice as if it were the distorted voice of dozens of demons, "And you will join us in three days." Then the terrifying monster shattered into chunks of blood, ash, and bones.


    Alfred was astonished, "What just happened? I need to get out of this cursed cave quickly. It''s driving me crazy."


    Alfred continued to move quickly, hoping to find someone or a gate or an exit, but along the way, the voices around him sang the crew''s songs they used to chant while sailing on the ship. "See you soon, Alfred." He turned to find another crew member hanging by his foot from a rope dangling from the ceiling, and as soon as Alfred saw him, he turned into a monster like the first one and shattered into blood in the same way. Alfred ignored him and his lookalikes from the rest of the crew who continued to appear on the way, and the crew''s songs continued around the place or maybe just in Alfred''s head. Then the song suddenly changed to terrifying voices, "Alfred, Alfred, three days, Alfred, Alfred, three days."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He raised his head to see his friends from the crew with scary faces, large, empty black eyes dripping blood terrifyingly, moving their heads left and right and singing,


    "Won''t these demons shut up? They will drive me crazy." Then he started running to get away from their location, stumbling several times to find himself running in a circle and returning to the same place he started from. He continued running in another direction, but the same thing kept happening. Out of breath from running, "Damn, it''s useless. I''ll faint. I''ll try to lie down and sleep a little. I''ve lost track of time. I didn''t sleep last night, or was it an hour ago?"


    Alfred lay down and tried to sleep, "Don''t sleep, don''t sleep, the pirates are here. Come and help us." The sounds of drums and cannons in the place became noisy as if you were in a war.


    "Shut up, shut up, you''re not real." Then Alfred got up and moved away from the place, unable to sleep. He became very tired as if he hadn''t slept for weeks, looking like a moving corpse. Then the whispering began again, "Alfred, Alfred, I''m here." Alfred turned to find another person with a wide smile and many teeth, "Alfred, two days, two days," then the person melted into a sticky mass of blood.


    "Damn, when will all this end?"


    A group of individuals appeared, similar to the previous monster, with the same smile and empty eyes, "It will end in two days. You will rest in two days. You will join us in two days. You will become part of us in two days."


    Alfred began to lose his mind and started screaming hysterically, "Shut up, shut up," then activated the Thunder Fists and began attacking and smashing them, "Shut up, you vile creatures, shut up." Then he started punching and hitting the wall hysterically until his hand bled.


    In another part of the cave, Michael was walking and exploring the surroundings, "So this is the Hallucination Cave. There is no specific strategy to work with here."


    Michael walked for hours but noticed he was returning to the same places he had passed before, "I''ve passed this place before. It must be magical hallucinations meant to put you in a loop until you go mad."


    Then the voices began to scream and cry, "Sir, please don''t kill me. I''ll pay them, believe me, aaaaah."


    "Wait, spare me, I have a family to feed."


    Michael turned around, but no one was there, "Auditory hallucinations, maybe a magical technique based on memory."


    People began to materialize, crying and screaming, begging for mercy, but Michael cut them down without mercy, "The vile creatures of this cave imitate the voices of people from memory and take their form to unsettle those in the cave until they break down. But unfortunately, I hear their screams daily in my head. I''ve gotten used to it."


    "Hello, Michael, your killing techniques have improved."


    This voice, could it be?


    Michael turned immediately upon hearing it to find a tall person wearing a hat, but his face was blurry and not clearly visible. Michael''s expression changed for a second,


    "You''re not real."

 The hallucination cave Day two

    Michael spoke, his voice steady but filled with a hint of disbelief,


    "You are not real."


    The mysterious man tilted his head slightly,


    "It seems we are in a cave that uses auditory and visual hallucinations to manifest people and memories in physical form. It draws its energy from both magical and spiritual forces, feeding off the consciousness of the forms that appear. So yes, you are partially correct. It is not real in the traditional sense."


    Michael''s brow furrowed as he processed the words. "Spiritual energy combined with magic... So, I assume it''s your consciousness speaking to me now?"


    The man replied.


    "Maybe, maybe not. I could be controlling my consciousness, or perhaps it''s a false sensation. No one truly knows, Michael. Not here."


    There was a long pause,  then, the man continued, his voice becoming more deliberate. "But let me ask you something."


    "Hmm?"


    The man took a step closer, his eyes never leaving Michael''s.


    "What was the first rule I taught you?"


    Michael didn¡¯t hesitate. His answer was firm, almost automatic.


    "Eliminate any potential threat or obstacle that endangers your mission or life."


    The mysterious man nodded,


    "Correct. Now, if you understand that, why am I still standing here? Why haven¡¯t you attacked the potential threat in front of you?"


    Michael¡¯s muscles tensed. The challenge was clear.


    "Yes, sir. I understand."


    Without another word, Michael launched himself into motion, drawing his daggers with swift precision, aiming for a fiery, lightning-fast assault. But the man, almost casually, raised his staff which was a normal staff not a magical one and blocked the attack with ease, as if he had already anticipated every movement.


    "Good moves," the man said, his voice calm and composed.


    "But you need more than that. Add more power, and target multiple vital points in a single strike."


    Before Michael could react, the man threw a small dagger with surprising speed. Michael dodged it with a fluid motion, then Michael attacked again The claymore came down in a heavy arc, fiery energy crackling along the blade.


    "Well done," the man said, acknowledging the effort, but his voice remained dispassionate. "But your magic is lacking. Add more energy. Don''t hold back."


    As he spoke, fire slashes seemingly coming from nowhere ripped through the air. Michael¡¯s senses screamed, but the man effortlessly danced around the attacks, avoiding each one with uncanny precision.


    "Exactly like that," the man continued, his movements so fluid they seemed almost a part of the air itself.


    "Don¡¯t give your opponent a chance to breathe. Keep them on the defensive. The moment you hesitate, you lose."


    The man paused, taking a slow drag from a cigar he had conjured out of thin air, and casually adjusted his hat.


    "Speed is the key for a Professional killer. In the end, not all opponents are strong. Even the strongest have weaknesses. But you won¡¯t be able to exploit those unless you move faster than they can react."


    Michael¡¯s pulse quickened. He knew the truth of it speed was the difference between life and death


    The air around him seemed to shift, the wind changing direction. Then, a faint glow began to form around Michael, an aura of concentrated energy. With a single side step, he vanished in an instant.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "Blood Hunter thats it," the man whispered.


    In the blink of an eye, Michael reappeared in front of him. The world seemed to slow as Michael struck with deadly precision, his daggers cutting through the air in three brutal strikes, aimed at the man¡¯s vital organs. He withdrew just as quickly, leaving no room for retaliation.


    The man stood motionless for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, as the body began to crack and shatter, returning to the shape of the cave¡¯s monstrous inhabitants.


    "You could have avoided that, couldn¡¯t you?" Michael asked, watching the body crumble.


    "Listen closely, Michael. There are two things I want you to remember. First, never hesitate when you attack. The moment you commit, you¡¯ve made a decision. You cannot retreat once you¡¯ve begun. Second, never let your hand tremble when you hold a weapon. Doubt is a killer in itself."


    As the body continued to break apart and fade into the air, the man¡¯s spiritual aura began to dissipate as well.


    "Fight for yourself, Michael. Think of yourself, not the world. Don¡¯t let it deceive you with its lies of cooperation and self-sacrifice."


    Michael¡¯s face was expressionless, but his voice was clear.


    "Yes, Master. I understand."


    The man gave him a final nod, his figure slowly dissolving as the cave¡¯s atmosphere began to grow still again. "Alright. I suppose our time here is up. We¡¯ll meet again... one day."


    And with that, the man¡¯s aura vanished entirely, leaving Michael alone in the  quiet of the cave.


    At that moment, Lala was desperately searching for Michael and Alfred.


    "My sensory ability is distorted. I can''t locate Alfred or Michael. This is a problem."


    After some time, she began to notice a group of villagers lying on the ground, injured.


    She ran toward the source of the screams, only to be taken by surprise when she reached them.


    "Lala, run! The pirates are coming!"


    "What¡¯s going on here? I need to calm down. It¡¯s clear these are illusions from the cave."


    Suddenly, an explosive attack from a fiery arrow struck, and she found herself surrounded by a group of pirates.


    "I know you¡¯re not real, but you¡¯ll pay for this."


    Meanwhile, elsewhere¡­


    "You''ve finally arrived."


    "I apologize, Captain. It took us longer than expected to locate your position due to the interference in the cave."


    The knight, waiting for his two companions who had been assisting him in the mission, answered,


    "It doesn''t matter. Did you collect the necessary amount of blood from the hallucination beasts into the blood jar?"


    "We gathered most of it. Only a little remains."


    "Good. I think the anti-magic armor was a great idea, even in a cave like this."


    "Yes, sir. It blocked most of the magical energy causing the hallucinations. However, our tracking spells were slightly affected, though not significantly."


    "Shhh¡­ Look over there!" The knight interrupted.


    "It''s the target, Michael, sir."


    "Yes. Now, go and collect the remaining blood. I¡¯ll stay here and keep an eye on Michael."


    "Understood, sir."


    The two knights departed to complete their task.


    Back to Lala¡­


    Lala was panting heavily after defeating the pirates using her ice powers.


    "Are you satisfied now, you filthy pirates?"


    "Heh, hello there, little girl."


    Lala turned around, immediately recognizing the voice.


    "It¡¯s you! The pirate from that day."


    A wave of intense anger surged within her, and without thinking, she launched a direct blizzard attack. However, the pirate woman countered with even stronger tornado magic. In an instant, she struck Lala with a powerful punch.


    Lala fell to the ground, staring up at the pirate, who had now transformed into the terrifying form of the cave¡¯s beasts. The pirate sneered and said,


    "You''ll be joining your family and village in two days."


    Then, the remaining monsters around them disintegrated into ashes and blood, just like the ones that had spoken to Alfred earlier.


    The cave began to spin wildly, and Lala lost consciousness.

 End of challenge two

    Lala woke up to find the cave had returned to calm.


    Monsters were nowhere to be seen, nor were their sounds or gazes from behind the shadows. Lala felt a sense of relief as her sensory abilities began to pick up magical life signals.


    "I think I can find Alfred and Michael now, then we can take down some monsters and finish the challenge. I''ll move quickly; Alfred is in this direction."


    Lala set off on a specific path, tracking Alfred''s magical energy. It didn''t take long for her to find him.


    "It''s Alfred, I''ve found him!"


    Lala approached cautiously, only to be shocked by Alfred''s poor condition.


    "What happened, Alfred? Are you okay?"


    Alfred was in a terrible state, both mentally and physically. He looked like someone on the verge of collapse and death. The cave had affected him in the worst possible way.


    Alfred tried to attack Lala upon seeing her, and his strike landed because she hadn''t expected it. He screamed in panic.


    "Get away from me, you filthy demons! Get out of my head!"


    "Calm down, Alfred. Get a grip."


    Alfred realized what had happened.


    "I''m sorry, Lala. Are you okay?"


    "It''s fine, don''t worry. It looks like you''ve had a tough time."


    She continued, "Alright, now we can work together. We''ll get rid of the monsters, find Michael, and complete the mission."


    Alfred nodded, though he seemed doubtful.


    "Do you think Michael is okay? What is he doing now?"


    "He''s strong; he''ll be fine. I can sense his magical energy faintly, so I think he''s some distance away or maybe suppressing his energy to hide from danger."


    "So he''s alive, at least."


    "Yes, I''m sure of it."


    Alfred replied, "Then let''s find him quickly. We need his strength to get out of this wretched cave."


    Lala agreed, "Yes, let''s go."


    They heard a terrifying cry from the cave.


    "You won''t leave this cave. You''ll die here in a few hours."


    Alfred spoke, "Damn, that voice again."


    Lala responded, "Did you hear it too?"


    Alfred answered, "Yes, that cursed voice has been haunting me since I entered the cave. Each time, the duration shortens from three days to two, and now just a few hours."


    Lala replied, "I heard it from one of the cave monsters yesterday, and it repeated now."


    She continued, "I think we should ignore it."


    "Yes, I think so too. Let''s reach Michael quickly."


    "Alright, let''s go."


    Meanwhile, Michael was collecting the required blood by cutting down cave monsters that continued to manifest as his previous victims, begging for his mercy. He killed another monster and paused upon hearing footsteps behind him.


    He spoke, "You''ve finally decided to come out. I was wondering how long you''d keep watching from afar."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The knight "V" appeared."Hmm, so you noticed me already, as expected from a killer."


    Michael turned around.


    "So, what do you want from me?"


    The knight "V" replied,


    "I''m a knight and a special hunter of criminals. I''ve recorded numerous murders and atrocities you''ve committed."


    Michael responded, "Aren''t there plenty of killers now? Go to the underworld or those nearly deserted villages. It''s a black market; you''ll find plenty of criminals and killers to catch."


    "I''m not interested in catching scum. The Golden Kingdom or any other kingdom will handle them. I hunt the most unique and bizarre criminals."


    "Then why did you let me go before?"


    "Hmm, do you know what cats do when they catch a mouse? They let it escape a little, then catch it again for fun."


    Michael began preparing his daggers and weapons, and the knight noticed.


    "Michael, why do you want to join the Golden Knights?"


    "That''s none of your business," Michael replied, drawing his sword.


    "Alright then, I guess our conversation ends here."


    The knight "V" drew his special axe, and the battle began.


    Michael disappeared quickly and appeared behind the knight, attacking with his sword, but the knight blocked it with his axe. Fire slashes appeared, hitting the knight, but Michael retreated.


    The attacks didn''t cut or harm the knight.


    "Good attack, but as you can see, magical attacks don''t work on me."


    Michael responded,


    "Hmm, an anti-magic shield. No wonder you didn''t dodge the strikes."


    "Correct, a good guess. It seems you have experience."


    The knight struck the ground with his axe, causing it to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.


    "Stone Crystal Spirit."


    Crystal stones emerged from the ground, attacking Michael, who tried to avoid them. However, a massive stone came his way, and he blocked it, but the stone exploded, sending Michael flying and crashing to the ground.


    "Damn, who is this person?"


    between the dust, the knight searched for Michael.


    "Come out, these assassin tricks won''t work here."


    Michael appeared quickly, engaging in direct combat with his claymore. They exchanged blows, but the knight seemed to have the upper hand.


    "What''s wrong? Are you already breaking?"


    Heavy strikes rained down on Michael, who struggled to maintain his balance. An icy whirlwind appeared, obscuring the knight''s vision. Alfred appeared, attacking with a thunderous punch, pushing the knight back slightly. However, the knight retaliated by kicking Alfred hard, slamming him into the cave wall. This bought them some time, and Michael moved away from the fight.


    The three were now together.


    "Michael, are you okay? Why are you fighting... Wait, isn''t this the knight said to be the strongest in this competition?" Lala spoke.


    Michael wiped the blood from his mouth and said, "It doesn''t matter. Don''t interfere here."


    "Wait, hold on."


    Michael charged at the knight again, but Lala joined him, attacking with an icy storm and ice spikes towards the knight. They didn''t affect him, but Michael disappeared amidst the ice storm.


    "Where is that bastard? I''ve lost him in the storm."


    Michael appeared, striking the knight with his sword, but it had no effect. He used the mist created by the ice to move away, but the knight quickly followed, punching Michael hard and trying to grab him. Michael moved away with a broken rib.


    "Michael, are you okay?" Lala asked.


    Michael, breathing heavily, focused on the knight and didn''t answer her.


    "You''ve lost, Michael. There''s no one to help you, no escape now."


    Lala spoke, "Michael, I''ll help Alfred get up. He''s unable to move. Create an opening, and then we''ll all escape."


    "The chance of escaping this way is slim. It''s a dead end."


    Lala heard the voice again, "These are your last minutes in this world."


    She spoke, "Damn, that voice again, not now."


    Then she told Michael, "What do you say? We can do it."


    At that moment, the knight charged, drawing his axe and attacking the injured Michael. Michael grabbed Lala''s head, using it to block the axe strike, killing her instantly. Michael moved and touched the knight, then moved away. With a gesture of his hand, an explosion occurred inside the knight''s armor, similar to the explosion that happened to the contestants at the end of the first round.


    The smoke cleared, revealing the knight with blood seeping from his armor''s sides.


    The knight spoke, breathing heavily, "Have you sunk so low as to use your comrades who tried to help you as a human shield?"


    Michael replied, "Do you think there was another way?"


    "Hmm."


    "Listen, I don''t care about your moral standards. I do what it takes to complete the mission."


    At that moment, Alfred was in shock, trying to convince himself that what he saw was a hallucination, but it wasn''t.


    The knight spoke, "I underestimated you, you vile criminal. You''re too dangerous to keep alive."


    The place began to collapse, and two knights appeared, followers of the knight "V"


    "Sir, the place is collapsing. We need to get out quickly. The blood jug is ready, and we''ve opened our portal."


    "Michael, luck has smiled upon you again, but I think this will be the last time."


    The knight and his aides left the place.


    Alfred got up and moved slowly to confirm Lala''s body, unable to believe what had happened. He began hearing the voices again.


    "You''ll join her soon."


    Michael noticed Alfred looking at him with angry eyes.


    "You criminal, I won''t forgive you." Alfred tried to gather his strength, forming a thunderous fist to attack Michael.


    "Fire Slash." Michael killed Alfred instantly.


    He used their blood to fill the remaining of the blood jug quickly.


    It worked, and Michael opened the portal, leaving the cave before it collapsed.


    It seems that the second challenge has come to an end.

 A possible war

    The gates opened, and the warriors who had succeeded in escaping the cave found themselves in an arena prepared by the Golden Knights.


    The leader, Orus, along with the two other knights, appeared on a platform above the arena.


    "Congratulations, warriors. You have successfully escaped the Hallucination Cave and have proven your worth, both physically and mentally," he said.


    "I would also like to commend all the remaining warriors here, and let them know that they are among the best. They deserve to be in high positions. However, as we all know, there is only one seat for the position of the Golden Knight. Therefore, in the final challenge, we are looking for the best of the best."


    There were ten warriors remaining in the challenge, divided into four teams:


    Knight V and his team,


    Wolf and his team,


    The Blue Swordsman and his team,


    Michael, the only remaining warrior from his team.


    The situation in the arena was strange, as everyone stared at Knight V and Michael, who were both injured and completely covered in blood.


    The Blue Swordsman spoke up,


    "What happened to you guys, for heaven''s sake? Did you fight or something?"


    "Nothing," replied the knight, trying to avoid looking at Michael, his anger making it difficult to control himself and keep from breaking the rules.


    Wolf also spoke sarcastically,


    "Michael, it seems like you lost your team, haha. You¡¯re in trouble now. You look like you''re on the verge of death, my friend. You could die at any moment."


    Michael did not respond and remained sitting, holding his injury, seemingly lost in thought.


    Leader Orus interrupted,


    "Please pay attention, everyone."


    He continued,


    "As for the final challenge, it will consist of three-on-three battles. The winning team from each round will face the winner from the other side in the final confrontation. The individual with the best performance from the winning team will be crowned the Golden Knight."


    Wolf spoke up,


    "But there''s someone here who is all alone from his team, haha. But that''s okay, the withdrawal rule applies in the third round, doesn''t it?"


    Orus answered,


    "You can participate alone; that''s allowed. But yes, in the case of withdrawal, it''s permitted in this round. So, what will you decide, Sir Michael?"


    Michael replied,


    "I will continue."


    "Alright, no problem. We will send out the opposing teams two days from now. Also, everyone here can take advantage of the training and advanced medical facilities to prepare for the final round. Now, you may go until further notice. Thank you."


    Everyone dispersed, either to rest or prepare for the final challenge.


    Shortly after, one of the aides arrived.


    "Excuse me, Sir Orus, the knight Seraphina has requested your presence at the main palace. There''s an emergency meeting."


    Orus was surprised.


    "An emergency meeting? What happened?"


    "I don''t know, but I was just instructed to inform you," she replied.


    Iliana spoke up,If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "The main palace? This can''t be good."


    Knight Garok, known as the Iron Wall, said,


    "I think we need to move quickly."


    The three knights arrived at the main palace, where the council members and King Alaric Valdorn had already gathered, along with Golden Knight Seraphina and Golden Knight Kai, who had arrived earlier.


    The knights entered and bowed. Orus spoke first,


    "Apologies, Your Majesty, we were delayed due to the preparations for the Golden Knights competition."


    The king responded,


    "No need to apologize. Please, sit, and let the meeting begin."


    "Understood," Orus replied, noticing that everyone seemed tense.


    The meeting began.


    Seraphina spoke,


    "I would like to inform you that the envoy we sent to the Air and wings Kingdom has returned, but unfortunately..."


    Orus immediately understood what she was going to say.


    "What happened?"


    "They returned him in a wooden box, sent by the Winds Kingdom in an insulting manner. Please, examine the box. It''s right there."


    Orus stood up and went to the box. He opened it and was shocked. Inside, there was only the envoy¡¯s head on a spear, wrapped in a white flag, with the word "WAR" written on it in blood.


    Orus composed himself and whispered softly,


    "Rest in peace. You served the kingdom faithfully ."


    He then closed the box and returned to his seat.


    "I can''t believe this is happening with the Winds Kingdom."


    Iliana spoke up,


    "So, they''ve declared war outright, with no room for negotiation."


    One of the council members asked,


    "Should we declare a state of emergency?"


    Orus replied,


    "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. It will cause widespread panic and chaos. Let¡¯s prepare for war first without announcing anything. I will go with one of the knights to officially inquire about what happened. I want to make war the last possible option."


    Iliana spoke passionately,


    "Evading war? Do you realize they insulted the kingdom with this act? Are you going to remain silent about the murder of one of our envoys?"


    Orus replied,


    "Yes, you are right. But war will also result in far more deaths  you know this better than i do."


    The king spoke,


    "Both of you are right. War should be a last resort, but if it¡¯s unavoidable, there is no other solution."


    One of the advisors asked,


    "Have we received any explanation yet as to why they declared war or what their demands are?"


    Lady Seraphina spoke,


    "Didn''t they want to break away from the Golden Kingdom and become an independent kingdom?"


    Orus answered,


    "First, an unknown individual appeared, seized control of the kingdom, overthrew Prince Ando and his other officials, and then declared independence from the Golden Kingdom. When we inquired, they responded in such a brutal way, ensuring the war would ignite. So, I believe the issue is deeper than just a desire for independence."


    The king said,


    "So, you and Garok will go to the Winds Kingdom officially, accompanied by advisors. You will engage in negotiations to see if war can be avoided. You will hear their demands and then return here to discuss them. In the end, we will reach a conclusion: peace or war.


    As for Iliana, you will accelerate the pace of the golden knights competition so we make sure all the six golden knights are ready .


    Finally, Kai and Seraphina, you will prepare the soldiers and the weapons and magical equipment in preparation for war, but without any public announcement."


    "Is that clear?"


    They all answered,


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    Meanwhile, in the Winds Kingdom


    "The support teams sent by the General have arrived."


    Shane spoke,


    "Excellent, just in time. Now, increase the poison factory''s output to four times its current capacity. Tell the military trainer to come here immediately."


    "Understood, Sir."


    A soldier entered,


    "Apologies, Sir. You''ve received a call from the General."


    The call was in the form of a magical piece used for communication between two parties via undetectable magical waves so others will not know the source or the location.


    Shane took the piece and the soldier left.


    "Hello, General."


    "The support teams have arrived. Have you finished the preparations?"


    "Almost, Sir. Everything is under control. Just a few details left. Trust me."


    "I don''t want too many casualties. Don¡¯t mess this up. Follow the plan as I outlined. Do you understand?"


    "Of course, Sir. We are now in the final stages before the war. You can count on me."


    "By the way, why did you kill the envoy from the Golden Kingdom?"


    "That was to force them into war without thinking."


    "Anyway, don¡¯t get too reckless or overconfident. Remember, I can''t send additional support because we are involved in other operations. You will have to rely on what you have. Keep that in mind."


    "Understood. You can rely on me. I will send you the final preparation report as soon as we finish."


    Shane sighed and then said sarcastically to one of his advisors in the palace,


    "It''s hard to please this general, isn¡¯t it?"


    "True. That''s why we¡¯ll make sure everything goes smoothly."


    Shane smiled,


    "A small kingdom challenging the Golden Kingdom. This will be quite fun."


    The military trainer arrived,


    "I''ve come as requested, Sir."


    "Excellent. How is the poison stockpile?"


    "We have enough for training and war. Don''t worry about anything. We have it under control."


    "Good. Listen, the new teams have arrived. You will train them to use the poisons and other techniques. I want them ready for actual combat as soon as possible."


    "Understood, Sir. They¡¯ll be ready in two to three weeks, at most."


    "Good. You may leave now."


    Shane spoke to the advisor,


    "Now, all that remains is to prepare the citizens and gain their support."

 The war is near

    After two days, the summons for the ten warriors for the final challenge arrived, along with an explanation of the challenge and some rules.


    The warriors gathered in the arena known as the Old Theatre, where various combat challenges had taken place throughout the ages in the Golden Kingdom. It was a place to showcase the strength of warriors and also entertain the people by watching thrilling battles, while reassuring them that there were powerful warriors in the kingdom capable of defending them from danger.


    The warriors entered the old arena, marveling at its grandeur and magnificence. It was an enormous space surrounded by waterfalls with golden-lit waters, caused by the reflection of light off the golden-adorned walls. There were also four columns at the corners of the arena, ending in glowing flames that illuminated the place and highlighted the magnificent bleachers for the spectators, as well as the "First Building" for the Golden Knights and the highest ranks in the Golden Kingdom.


    One of the competitors spoke up, "This place is amazing for a place called the ''Old.''"


    A group of knights entered and formed organized rows, starting to blow horns and stomp the ground in synchronized rhythm. Then, the knight Iliana appeared alone at the top of the First Building.


    The competitors whispered among themselves, wondering why only Iliana had appeared, and why not all the knights or at least most of them were present. However, they were interrupted when she spoke in a serious and sharp voice.


    "Attention, all competitors."


    Everyone fell silent and began listening to what she would say.


    "First of all, I want to congratulate everyone who has reached this stage of the Golden Knights competition. Now, I want to inform you that the final challenge will begin shortly, and we will select challengers from each side in a three-against-three battle. Initially, you will fight two matches for four teams in the semi-finals. Then, the winning teams will face each other in the finals, and the individual who performs best on the winning team will be crowned the champion and the new Golden Knight."


    Assistants appeared, bringing with them a container filled with magical stones to randomly draw and determine the facing teams.


    The draw began, and the results were revealed:


    Knight "V" and his team vs. the Blue Swordsman and his team


    Michael (the only remaining member of his team) vs. Wolf and his team


    Wolf laughed. "Looks like this will be an easy fight, despite your strength, Michael. But you''re alone in this battle."


    Iliana spoke again, "Alright, the first battle will begin in one hour. You may go and prepare now."


    Meanwhile...


    Kai and Serafina were working on preparations for a potential war.


    "Kai, have you finished preparing the wall cannons and the ammunition?"


    "Yes, I opted to work with the blue ammunition, and I ordered the cannon angles to be adjusted. I also instructed the cannon operators to set them for long-range mode and to stay vigilant, monitoring the kingdom¡¯s perimeter for any approaching enemy."


    "Excellent. I''m currently charging the weapons with magical energy after we set up the magical charging stations. It was a bit difficult to prevent the public from noticing military activities and causing rumors and panic."


    "Yes, that''s the case at the walls. We told the people near the walls that it''s just a procedure related to the Golden Knights competition."


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Good. What will you do next?"


    "I''ll organize the battalions now for combat readiness."


    "Okay, I''ll join you once we''re done with the weapons, and they''ll be adjusted. We''ve figured out a way to enhance their efficiency in the lab, and we can now produce them in larger quantities. We''ll send experimental versions; try them out with the battalions."


    "Alright, we¡¯re counting on you."


    In the Wind Kingdom...


    Shane was strolling, discussing matters with his advisor.


    the advisor asked


    " you say now that you''re going to address the people and tell them to join your side in the war, you know they hate you."


    "Haha, don''t worry about that, I''ll handle it."


    "Do you want the public to fight as soldiers in the war? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. Fighting on one side in a war requires loyalty and belief in the cause."


    "No, that¡¯s not my plan. They¡¯ll be useless in combat."


    "So, you told me you''re working on increasing the number of soldiers, and the number sent by the general is insufficient."


    "Yes, and I''ve already solved the problem."


    "How?"


    "We''re already heading there, you¡¯ll see for yourself."


    Shane and his advisor headed to a location a little further from the main cities of the kingdom. There, they arrived at a dilapidated building guarded by two old guards at the entrance, who immediately saluted Shane and opened the door.


    They were greeted by an old demon.


    "Hello, my lord. It seems you''re here to check on the progress. Will the war begin soon?"


    "Yes, how''s the work going here?"


    "It''s going great. Everything is ready. Come and see for yourself."


    They followed the old demon to a dilapidated elevator that descended underground until they reached a certain depth. They entered a space that seemed like an arena covered with thorns and surrounded by magical walls.


    "Take a look, my lord."


    The advisor and Shane approached, and Shane smiled, speaking excitedly.


    "What do you think?" He enjoyed watching the advisor¡¯s surprised expression, who was now feeling nauseous.


    Before them stood a huge army of grotesque, transformed beasts, chained by soldiers to keep their roars at bay. Others were injecting them with certain substances. The sight was terrifying, and the beasts attacked everything until the soldiers shocked them to calm them down, feeding them dead bodies or even some prisoners.


    "My god, what is this?"


    Shane spoke.


    "They''re transformed humans. We did this using special poisons we developed."


    "But where did you get these humans from?"


    "They¡¯re prisoners from the kingdom. Haha, I found many of them, and this was the best use for them¡ªturning them into fighting monsters."


    "But the numbers are huge. Are all of them prisoners?"


    "Actually, I kidnapped some people from distant villages."


    "Hah, I expected you to do something crazy. I just hope the general doesn¡¯t find out."


    "Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t, because I¡¯ll win the war, and the results will cover up the method."


    Shane then spoke to the old demon.


    "Well done. Excellent work. I was right to trust you."


    "Haha, thank you, my lord. You can count on me."


    On their way back, a soldier appeared.


    "Lord Shane, a delegation from the Golden Kingdom has arrived. They wish to meet you and are waiting at the main palace."


    "Another delegation? What do they want now? Anyway, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll come right away."


    He then told his advisor, "It seems the war will start sooner than expected."

 the edge between life and death

    The delegation from the Golden Kingdom, consisting of the two golden knights, orus and Garok, along with some aides and advisors, arrived at the Kingdom of Winds. There, they encountered a group of soldiers who instructed them to follow them to the main palace.


    On the way to the palace, Garok spoke up.


    "Leader, don''t you notice something strange?"


    "What do you mean?" replied orus.


    "Look at the movement of the people. It seems like they are moving supplies to shelters. They are indeed preparing for war."


    "We''ll find out what happens soon," orus replied.


    One of the soldiers spoke.


    "We''ve arrived at the palace gates. We will wait for orders from Lord Shane before allowing you to enter."


    Meanwhile, Shane was outside the palace with his advisor, having just left the mutant beast laboratory. A soldier approached him and informed him that the delegation from the Golden Kingdom had arrived.


    Shane responded, "It''s fine. Let them wait inside the palace in the guest room and provide them with food. I''ll join them shortly."


    Instructions were sent to the palace guards, and the delegation was allowed to enter.


    "Please, come in and follow me."


    A palace servant guided them to a waiting room where they prepared a table for them.


    "This is the guest room. Please wait for Lord Shane. He will arrive soon. In the meantime, feel free to rest here as you like."


    The leader, Orus, thanked the servant for their hospitality, and the servant then left.


    One of the aides whispered to orus,


    "Isn''t this the same kingdom that killed our previous messenger? What is going on?"


    A consultant approached to have some food, but Garok stopped him.


    "Are you crazy? Don''t you remember where we are? It could be poisoned!"


    Orus interrupted calmly,


    "No, I''ve already checked it. They don''t intend to kill us this way, at least not yet."


    About an hour later, Shane entered the guest room with his advisor and several assistants.


    "I apologize for the delay, gentlemen. I had to finish some work before coming." He smiled and continued,


    "Greetings, I am Shane, the current leader of the Kingdom of Winds."


    Orus spoke,


    "We''ve come to discuss matters of war, as well as the incident with our previous messenger."


    Shane responded,


    "Oh, no worries. First, I want to apologize for that. I''ll explain more in the negotiation room."


    The delegation was surprised, but they followed the aides to the negotiation room.


    At the door, two guards stopped them. One of them spoke,


    "Before you enter, please leave your weapons here."


    "What are you saying?" Garok replied.


    "It''s fine, we''ll do it," Orus said, calming Garok down.


    Shane interrupted with a calm smile,


    "No, there''s no need for that, gentlemen. You can bring your weapons in if you''d like."


    The guard allowed them to enter, and they were puzzled by Shane''s behavior.


    Everyone sat at the table, and Shane, relaxed, had a soldier bring him a cigar and a light. After taking a puff and exhaling, he spoke,


    "So, how can I assist you today?"


    Orus began,


    "To start, I am Orus, leader of the Golden Knights. We''ve come to inquire about your declaration of war, especially since it came in such an insulting way. You killed our messenger. You could have at least requested a fair meeting to discuss the war, and we strongly reject the method you used."


    Shane smiled as he responded,


    "Actually, regarding the death of your messenger, that was an unplanned event, and we apologize for it."


    "Hmm."


    "I''ll explain what happened. Some things changed here, and the leadership structure in the kingdom shifted. After that, your kingdom sent a messenger to inquire. We welcomed him well, and we discussed several matters. We explained our refusal of the injustice in this kingdom due to its subjugation to the Golden Kingdom. That''s the reason for the separation. We also expressed our readiness for war if this subjugation continues. All I wanted was to establish a free kingdom here."


    "But you''re not from the Kingdom of Winds! If a rebel from the kingdom said this, I would understand, but it''s clear you''re from the Demon Clan of the Underworld, Makai, am I wrong?"


    Shane laughed and said,


    "That''s correct. I''m not from the Kingdom of Winds, but I have my reasons for doing this."


    "And what are those reasons?"


    "Sorry, I can''t talk about that."


    Garok raised his voice,


    "Are you joking with us?"


    Orus spoke in a serious tone,


    "Calm down, Garok. Sit down."


    "Sorry, leader."


    Orus then continued,


    "I apologize for this. Please continue explaining."


    Shane said,


    "No need to apologize. I understand his anger. Anyway, I''ll continue now. After the discussion with your messenger, we reached a point where war couldn''t be avoided in order to prove our sovereignty to the world. Your messenger tried to find a solution, and then I suggested a solution in the style of one of the clans in our world."


    Orus responded,


    "A duel?"


    Shane laughed,


    "No, no. Of course not. Would I fight someone weaker than me to make a decision? No, it was through a fair and honest game."


    "A game?"


    "Yes, a game. We played a special game called the Dual Blade."


    Orus was confused,


    "What are you talking about?"


    Shane explained after a soldier entered and brought him the Dual Blade.


    "Here is the Dual Blade. It seems you might recognize it now. It¡¯s a staff with blades on both ends, facing opposite directions. Each blade is placed on the necks of the two competitors. It is charged and activated from the middle, and then one of the blades moves randomly with a fifty-fifty chance and cuts off one of the competitors'' heads."


    Orus responded,


    "But what does this have to do with the war?"


    Shane smiled,


    "I suggested your friend play this game. If he won, my head would be cut off, and I had already agreed to halt the war if I died in the game. However, if he lost, I would declare war, and he would lose his life in the game, of course."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Everyone was stunned,


    "What are you saying?"


    "In truth, I admire his bravery. He accepted a fifty-fifty chance to save your kingdom from war and didn''t fear death. That¡¯s what I meant. I didn¡¯t kill him by force. He lost in the game by his own choice."


    Garok shouted,


    "Are you insane? How can you determine the fate of two kingdoms with a game?"


    Shane laughed and replied,


    "Since you¡¯ve come here to reach an agreement to stop the war, I¡¯ll give you another chance. We¡¯ll play another game."


    Orus responded calmly,


    "Another game?"


    "Yes, but this time, we won¡¯t play that game. We¡¯ll play something else, something easier."


    "What is it?"


    A soldier entered and brought a gun with ammunition.


    "I think you know what we¡¯ll play. This weapon has six rounds, and it¡¯s enchanted to be immune to magical shields and healing methods. We¡¯ll place one round, rotate the weapon, and then..."


    Boom.


    "One shot and it¡¯s over for you. The good part is that this time, we¡¯ll use magical binding. This means that if we survive the first round, we¡¯ll be bound, and the shot will affect both of us. If I hit you with the magical bullet, we both die."


    "And how do we determine the winner?"


    "I¡¯ll make it easier for you. If I die, you win. If you die, I win."


    "But with this binding method, if we both die, who wins?"


    "You¡¯ll win. What do you think? It¡¯s simple. There are three possible outcomes: two where you win. Isn''t it great?"


    Orus responded,


    "Okay, I¡¯ll play."


    Garok spoke,


    "Are you really going to participate in this madness? Please, don¡¯t do it."


    "No, it¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s see what happens."


    Shane laughed,


    "Then, Leader Orus, you¡¯re the one who will participate. Great, let¡¯s begin. But first, check the weapon and ammunition to ensure there¡¯s no trickery."


    Orus took the weapon, loaded a round, and rotated it. He then placed it against his head.


    Everyone was terrified, and Shane spoke,


    "Does your heart race? Do you feel like you¡¯re on the edge between life and death?"


    Orus gathered his strength and pulled the trigger.


    Nothing happened, and the delegation breathed a sigh of relief.


    Orus handed the weapon to Shane, who placed it on his head, smiling. Then he said,


    "The edge between life and death it''s my favorite place."


    Shane started breathing rapidly, and the smile never left his face. He then pulled the trigger.


    Nothing happened.


    Shane¡¯s advisor spoke,


    "My lord, are you sure about this?"


    "Are you joking with me? I haven¡¯t enjoyed myself this much in a while."


    Shane loaded another round and handed the weapon to Orus.


    "Now, the odds are higher, and we¡¯re closer to the edge."


    Orus hesitated, thought for a moment, and then raised the weapon to his head.


    Shane smiled, watching the delegation in fear, then looked at the leader and said,


    "Tell me, what does it feel like? Is it terrifying?"


    "Quiet. Let me concentrate."


    Orus took a deep breath, and the delegation closed their eyes. He then squeezed the trigger.


    Nothing happened.


    Shane spoke,


    "It seems you tilted towards life again. Excellent."


    Shane held the weapon, rotated it, then placed it against his head and pulled the trigger quickly.


    Nothing happened.


    "Wooah, let¡¯s raise the stakes."


    Shane loaded a third round and handed the weapon to Orus.


    Garok shouted,


    "This isn¡¯t fair! our leader always faces the increased risk first!"


    Shane laughed,


    "Looks like you¡¯re starting to lose your composure, but your leader is still calm. No worries. I¡¯ll grant your wish. No problem."


    Shane placed the weapon to his head and said,


    "I¡¯ll start first," then pulled the trigger.


    Nothing happened.


    "Ha-ha, I survived this round too. Perhaps thanks to your words, Mr. Garok, or maybe it was fate."


    Orus took the weapon and placed it to his head.


    Shane spoke,


    "I remind you, the odds are now 1 in 2. Ha-ha, I wonder how you¡¯ll feel, Mr. Garok, if your leader dies now and he would have survived if you hadn¡¯t spoken."


    Garok was extremely worried and thought about Shane''s words, feeling responsible.


    Orus pulled the trigger, and Garok was more terrified than anyone, turning his head to avoid watching.


    Nothing happened, and Garok breathed a sigh of relief.


    Shane laughed,


    "Looks like you''re lucky, Lord Orus. You¡¯ve been very close to the edge, but now we¡¯ll take it to the next level."


    Shane loaded two rounds, increasing the odds to 5 out of 6, and applied the magical binding technique.


    Now, it¡¯s the final stage. The rule this time has a slight difference.


    "We¡¯ll rotate the weapon, and whoever it points to will hold it and aim at their head. But this time, if one of us survives, the other will too. If one of us dies, both of us die."


    Everyone was shocked.


    Garok spoke,


    "This is absurd! Stop this madness now!"


    Shane rotated the weapon to ensure there was no magical interference. The weapon was aimed at Aureus, who picked it up and pointed it at his head.


    Shane smirked,


    "It seems fate has chosen you to make the decision."


    Orus placed his hand on the trigger.


    Shane laughed,


    "Look at your hand. It''s shaking so much. Listen, all you have to do is pull the trigger. No matter the result, whether we both survive or both die, the war will stop, and your kingdom will be saved."


    Orus thought for a moment,


    "All I have to do is pull my finger and save thousands of lives."


    Shane answered,


    "Yes, that¡¯s correct."


    Orus began sweating, his hand trembling badly, as he prepared to pull the trigger. Shane breathed rapidly, still grinning hysterically. His advisor was anxious.


    "My lord, please stop. We¡¯ve gone too far."


    "Shut up, you fool. This is the final moment. We¡¯re as close to the edge as possible. This is magnificent!"


    Shane was incredibly excited and shouted crazily,


    "Come on, pull the trigger and save your kingdom!"


    Orus moved his finger but couldn¡¯t press the trigger. He put the weapon down.


    "I¡¯m sorry. I couldn¡¯t do it."


    The magical binding was broken, and Shane laughed,


    "You¡¯re afraid, the strong knight. You chose your life over the lives of others. That¡¯s the truth. These are your false ideals, humans. Look at you knights living comfortable lives, pretending to be heroes who save people and fight for them. But you lie to them, and you lie to yourselves. This truth only shows up in critical moments."


    Garok stood up to strike Shane, but Orus stopped him and spoke, exhausted, unable to speak clearly,


    "Garok, please stop. We lost. We don¡¯t want to make things worse."


    "Orus, did this bastard¡¯s words affect you? Don¡¯t listen to him. How many times have we saved our kingdom and fought for it? Don¡¯t let him make you forget all that!"


    Shane spoke afterward,


    "Anyway, it looks like the war decision stands. I think you¡¯ll accept it now. I gave you a chance, and you refused."


    The delegation stood up to leave in sorrow, especially Orus, with Garok by his side, trying to comfort him.


    After everyone left, the advisor spoke to Shane,


    "My lord, that was really dangerous. Please don¡¯t repeat it.


    But what would have happened if he had pulled the trigger?"


    Shane picked up the weapon, aimed it at a glass on the table, and pulled the trigger.


    The glass exploded, shocking the advisor.


    Shane laughed,


    "That¡¯s what would have happened."

 Knight V vs. Takeshi the Blue Swordsman

    Finally, the first round of the final stage of the Golden Knights Tournament was about to begin. The crowd had gathered from all corners of the Golden Kingdom, with tourists from neighboring kingdoms eager to witness this challenge. The stands buzzed with excitement, filled with cheers and songs that echoed through the arena.


    The knight Iliana appeared at the top of the building.


    "Now, let the competitors for the first round approach, in the order drawn," she announced.


    The competitors entered the arena Team Knight V and Team Takeshi the blue swordman in the middle of the applause of the crowd.


    Iliana spoke again, her voice clear and firm: "The battle will take place within this marked circle. If the designated leader of a team, in this case, Knight V or the Blue Swordman, steps outside the circle, they will immediately lose, and the match will end. There are three ways for the match to end:


    The competitor¡¯s death.


    Surrender.


    Stepping outside the circle.


    In short, the loss of the leader means the end of the battle. The purpose of this challenge is to test your ability to function as leaders or soldiers, and also to evaluate your individual skills in times of crisis."


    "Understood," replied Knight V.


    "Of course. Let¡¯s have an honorable fight, Knight," Takeshi said, a confident smile on his face.


    "Alright then," Knight V answered.


    "Let¡¯s move, comrades! Take your positions! We¡¯re going to win this!" Takeshi spoke to his team.


    "Understood," replied his two teammates, Ronan the archer and Lyra the healer. They had met in the competition when the teams were first formed. Since the first challenge, they had developed an unparalleled bond and understanding in combat, thanks to Takeshi¡¯s leadership. His leadership skills were well-known in his homeland, a small island in a bay near the Golden Kingdom, which had always been under its protection.


    His childhood had been difficult. At a very young age, he had been left alone when his village, called Black Thunder, was attacked by monstrous creatures. His parents, who had fought to protect the village, were killed, and only a Golden Knight managed to stop the monsters. From that point on, Takeshi was raised without knowing his real name. He had never cared to learn it, having been referred to simply as Takeshi since his childhood. He was given this name after he became known for his mastery of the sword and his steadfastness, qualities that set him apart. He always carried a blue, shining sword, a gift from the Golden Kingdom as an apology for their failure to save his village. This sword became his symbol, and he developed a love for the art of swordsmanship. By the age of ten, he was practicing daily with that sword. It was then that an old retired soldier, who had spent most of his life serving the kingdom, noticed his skill and enrolled him in a swordsmanship academy. This marked the beginning of his journey to where he was now.


    "Ronan, Lyra, get ready. Stay back and fire your arrows at my signal," Takeshi instructed.


    "Understood," they replied.


    The battle began.


    Takeshi made the first move, charging swiftly and drawing his sword to attack Knight V.


    "Both of you, to the edges of the arena one on the right, the other on the left. Do not move until I give the signal," Knight V ordered his team.Stolen story; please report.


    He then drew his axe, and Takeshi¡¯s quick strike hit Knight V¡¯s shield, but it did no damage, as the shield was enchanted to resist magic.


    Takeshi was surprised, but the shock didn¡¯t last long. He was soon struck by a heavy blow from Knight V¡¯s axe.


    Ronan, the archer, quickly fired magical arrows at Knight V, but they had no effect. Among them was one arrow that created a thick cloud of smoke, allowing Takeshi to retreat into a healing circle created by Lyra.


    "You¡¯re quite strong, Knight," Takeshi said, catching his breath. "But I won¡¯t lose here."


    He raised his sword to the sky with both hands, closed his eyes, and the sky darkened as a brilliant blue moon appeared above.


    Opening his glowing eyes, he smiled and said, "Now, the real battle begins."


    Four blue shadows identical to Takeshi appeared around Knight V, each wielding a sword, and they closed in to surround him.


    "Ah, so this is your plan. Very well," Knight V said.


    He signaled to his teammates, and they activated blades from their shields and charged toward Takeshi¡¯s shadows. In response, Takeshi summoned two more shadows to obstruct their movements, appearing in flashes of light.


    The shadows were not mere illusions. They mimicked Takeshi''s every move, their swords moving with the same precision, and could strike with his full strength. They were extensions of his will born of intense focus and discipline.


    Knight V¡¯s team struggled to track them all, as Takeshi¡¯s shadows made the battlefield chaotic and unpredictable.


    In that moment, Knight V shattered the shadows around him with a single sweep of his axe, and charged at Takeshi. The two clashed with powerful blows, axe against sword.


    At first, Takeshi struggled due to the sheer power and weight of Knight V¡¯s axe, but he quickly adapted, realizing that he could use his shadows not just to attack, but to defend. He made a mental note: speed wasn¡¯t the only key to victory timing was.


    However, this advantage was short-lived. Knight V had faced a speed-based battle before, against Michael in the cave, and he knew exactly how to counter it.


    He activated his earthquake technique, slamming his axe into the ground, sending shockwaves that knocked everyone off their feet.


    He quickly closed in on Takeshi and said, "You¡¯ve got skill, but you still need more work."


    "Not yet. Look at the sky."


    A beam of light shot down from the blue moon above.


    "This is the Black Lighthouse Beam. Sorry, but this will hurt a little," Takeshi said.


    The beam struck Knight V directly, paralyzing him, and it felt as though it was burning him from the inside. Takeshi¡¯s shadow-clones vanished into smoke, leaving him vulnerable.


    "Is this a poison beam? What¡¯s happening?" Knight V asked, struggling to stay on his feet.


    Takeshi, despite the earlier tremors, regained his balance and gripped his sword with both hands, preparing for a final strike.


    "I¡¯ll finish this now."


    With a swift motion, Takeshi delivered a powerful slash, cutting through Knight V¡¯s defenses. The attack caused a clear wound, one that would have been fatal had it not been for Knight V¡¯s magical shield.


    Knight V coughed and turned toward Takeshi, now more focused. "You fought well. But this battle is over."


    one of the knight¡¯s followers arrived and informed him,


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the knight replied.


    "What¡¯s going on?" he asked, noticing his teammates were nowhere to be seen.


    "It seems you¡¯ve forgotten your teammates," Knight V said.


    "Damn it!" Takeshi charged toward his team, but Knight V intercepted him with an axe strike. Takeshi parried it and stepped back.


    "How can you still move after that?" Takeshi muttered in disbelief.


    "Your attack was good, but it wasn¡¯t enough to kill me or paralyze me," Knight V replied.


    At that moment, Knight V¡¯s assistants appeared behind Takeshi and launched a surprise attack, knocking him to the ground.


    "Damn you! Why did you kill them?" Takeshi yelled, struggling to get up.


    "We didn¡¯t kill anyone," Knight V said  "We just knocked them out of the circle."


    "Ha!"


    One of the assistants then injected Takeshi with a tranquilizer, and as he began to lose consciousness, Knight V spoke.


    "You fought well, but this was for the best. You and your team don¡¯t want a tragedy in the final round."


    With that, Takeshi lost consciousness. Knight V ordered his assistants to remove him from the circle.


    Thus, Knight V and his team emerged victorious in this round and advanced to the finals.


    Iliana¡¯s voice echoed from the building.


    "The match is over. Moving on to the finals, Knight V and his team! Congratulations on a well-deserved victory."


    She continued, "The next match will be tomorrow at the same time, with Wolf and his team facing Michael to decide who will join the finals."

 Michael vs team Wolf

    The second day had arrived, and the second part of the semi-final round of the Golden Knights Challenge began, where the battle would be between Michael against Wolf and his team.


    The audience and spectators gathered in the stands, just like before. On one side of the stands, Knight "V" and his two assistants sat, watching the fight. It wasn''t long before Takeshi, Ronan, and Lyra arrived and noticed Knight "V" and his team, so they went over to sit with them.


    Takeshi spoke with his usual smile:


    "Hello, Knight. May we sit with you?"


    Knight "V" responded:


    "It¡¯s you. I see you recovered from your injuries quickly."


    "Haha, they have amazing magical healing systems for the participants, very advanced. Also, you guys didn¡¯t inflict any fatal injuries on us. Allow me to thank you for that."


    " it¡¯s nothing. Please, sit."


    Takeshi and his team sat down, waiting for the fight to begin. After a brief silence, Lyra spoke:


    "By the way, isn¡¯t today¡¯s fight a three-against-one match? What do you think will happen?"


    "It will be difficult for the lone contestant, but no one knows what will happen. After all, he came out of that cave as the only one left from his team," Ronan replied.


    Suddenly, Takeshi spoke up:


    "Hey, I remembered something when you mentioned the cave. He came out severely injured and covered in blood, and it looks like you, Knight, fought with him inside the cave."


    Knight "V" answered shortly:


    "Correct."


    "That''s what I thought. But after fighting you, I¡¯m sure your strength is on another level entirely. I¡¯m convinced you¡¯re already at the level of the Golden Knights. So how did you come out with all those injuries?"


    Attention shifted as the fighters had already entered the arena.


    Lyra spoke:


    "Oh, it looks like they¡¯re starting, but doesn¡¯t it seem a bit strange? I mean, three people on one side, and a single warrior on the other?"


    Ronan replied:


    "I don¡¯t know why, but I have a bad feeling."


    Knight "V" said:


    "Watch the fight carefully to understand what¡¯s happening."


    Takeshi turned towards the knight to ask more, but Iliana''s loud voice interrupted, announcing the start of the round.


    In the center of the arena, Wolf and his teammates, Jays and Ayami, looked at the buildings and stands, which seemed even more impressive than the arena itself.


    Wolf spoke:


    "Come on, guys, let¡¯s give it our all. Don¡¯t worry, if I become a Golden Knight, I¡¯ll make sure you get high positions as knights."


    Ayami responded:


    "Haha, this joke again. I told you, we¡¯ll rise through our own strength, without any help. And also, it¡¯s not necessary for the leader to be a Golden Knight."


    Jays laughed and then said:


    "But I want a high position either way. Don¡¯t listen to her, Wolf."


    Everyone laughed, and then Wolf spoke sarcastically:


    "Doesn¡¯t matter, you idiots. In any case, we have to win."


    He continued, but now seriously:


    "Focus, guys. We¡¯re up against a fighter of the assassin type, so be careful with your moves."


    "Alright, let¡¯s begin."


    On the other side, Michael only observed for now, then drew his daggers when the battle signal was given.


    Wolf and Jays rushed forward, with Jays activating his shield at the same time Wolf attacked with his claws. But Michael avoided the claws.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Fire Slash!"


    Michael unleashed his cutting fire attacks on Wolf, but Jays blocked them with his shield. He then threw his spear with great force towards Michael, but Michael moved away, and the spear struck the ground, creating an explosion from its power.


    "Now, Wolf!"


    Wolf charged quickly with a rapid claw attack, but Michael drew his claymore sword and blocked the huge claws. He then dropped the sword and drew a dagger to stab Wolf, but Ayami used a teleportation spell to move Wolf out of the way just before the strike.


    Wolf spoke:


    "Good job, right at the right moment."


    "Haha, of course, you would¡¯ve been done without my help."


    Wolf sarcastically responded:


    "I would¡¯ve just taken a hit, you idiot. Let¡¯s go now."


    Ayami struck her magic staff on the ground, and a vortex appeared in the sky from which magical balls launched, relentlessly attacking Michael. He either dodged or deflected them with his sword, but Wolf kept getting in his way with repeated claw attacks. Every time Michael found an opening to avoid the magical balls and at the same time attack Wolf, Jays would appear through instant teleportation to Ayami and block the strike with his shield. This went on for several moments until Wolf found an opportunity to ambush Michael. In that moment, Ayami cast a spell on Wolf to enhance the power of his claw attacks.


    Michael was struck with a powerful blow, his arm severely injured. It was the perfect teamwork from the enemy team.


    Michael got up, tore a piece of his cloak to tie around his arm, and then began eyeing his opponents. He picked up his first dagger and then went to grab his other weapons, the second dagger and sword, but a lightning strike from the sorceress struck his weapons, knocking them farther away from the arena.


    Michael looked at them and then focused his gaze on the sorceress.


    "I made a mistake by prioritizing Wolf. The real danger was that sorceress all along."


    Michael tightened the cloth around his injured arm and grabbed his dagger with his other hand before charging.


    Wolf spoke:


    "Let¡¯s go now. We¡¯ll crush him with the same strategy."


    Wolf and Jays rushed forward, with Ayami¡¯s magical reinforcements following.


    Wolf¡¯s attack came, but Michael dodged and unleashed a fiery cut towards him, forcing him to evade and create an opening for Michael to escape. Michael then charged directly towards the sorceress, evading her attacks. Just before reaching her, Jays blocked his path with his shield and began attacking with his spear to buy time for Wolf to reach him. But with a fiery cut, Michael struck Jays¡¯ leg because his shield didn¡¯t cover it as well as the upper part. Jays stumbled, and Michael created a fiery circle like a wall to hinder Wolf and buy some extra time. He then disappeared into the flames and suddenly appeared in front of Ayami, who was about to attack with a lightning strike. He dodged it, reaching her and kicking her magic staff out of her hands, rendering her unable to cast any spells.


    The sorceress tried to cast an instant teleportation spell to get away, but it took longer to activate without her staff, and it wasn¡¯t enough. Michael attacked her with a dagger stab to her stomach, causing her to bend over and spit out blood. Wolf arrived, but he was too late. Michael pulled the dagger from her and severed her head while she still clutched her wound.


    Wolf was shocked by the scene and then became furious, screaming crazily as he charged at Michael. Just before Wolf reached him, Michael was about to unleash a deadly fiery cut, but Jays noticed this in time and reached Wolf, blocking the cuts with his shield and reducing their impact.


    They then retreated to the other side of the arena to calm the situation down a bit.


    Michael also retreated, carrying his weapons.


    Wolf spoke to Jays:


    "Damn, this is my fault. I didn¡¯t stop him in time, and we lost Ayami. I almost messed it up again if you hadn¡¯t intervened during that attack."


    "No, it¡¯s not just your fault. He exposed our strategy. Don¡¯t worry, let¡¯s move on with a different formation."


    "Okay."


    Then there was a loud explosion from Jays¡¯ shield, which was torn to burned pieces all over the arena in seconds.


    Wolf couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, nor could the spectators.


    Takeshi spoke to Knight "V" in the stands:


    "What just happened? It exploded out of nowhere."


    Knight "V" replied:


    "That damn trick, he used it against me in the cave and also at the end of the first challenge."


    Takeshi was surprised:


    "That¡¯s how you ended up with all those injuries. Someone else would¡¯ve been killed, as we just saw. That¡¯s why you told me my exit from the competition was for the best."


    "Hmm."


    Michael began walking toward Wolf, who was angrily looking around but had no idea what to do. He only saw one solution: attack directly. But Michael stabbed his jaw, and Wolf managed to pull back, though his cheek was completely cut. He started retreating slowly, without any hope left. He had only one solution left.


    "I surrender."


    Wolf announced his withdrawal from the match, and at that moment, Iliana spoke in a voice full of surprise:


    "It seems that the competitor has surrendered, and thus, the second round is over. Michael wins and will move on to the final against Knight ''V'' and his team."


    The round ended, but there was no applause from the crowd in the arena, perhaps due to shock or because of what had just happened.


    Lyra spoke:


    "Would we have fought this madman if we had won?"


    Takeshi spoke to Knight "V":


    "Will you fight him, and do you have a plan?"


    Knight "V" answered as he stood up with his team to leave:


    "I came here to fight him."

 Upcoming threat

    The special delegation returned to the Golden Kingdom after the failure of the negotiations with the Kingdom of Winds.


    Now, Garok and the delegation had reached the borders of the Golden Kingdom, but Commander Orus told them he would return after finishing something.


    "Orus, you''re not planning to do anything crazy, are you?"


    "No, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve come up with a good idea that will help us. You¡¯ll understand when the time comes. I¡¯ll return after I finish it. For now, deliver the report."


    "Alright, understood," Garok replied.


    Garok arrived at the main palace, where some advisors and knights¡ªIliana, Kai, and Seraphina¡ªwere present. There, he delivered the report and explained everything that had happened in detail so it could be passed to the king, who was absent due to his busy schedule.


    Seraphina spoke: "So, war is confirmed now. We need to finish the Knights'' Tournament as soon as possible and prepare the winning knight."


    Iliana replied: "That''s true, but there¡¯s something I noticed. The remaining two challengers are at a very similar level. I can confirm that both of them are already at the level of Golden Knights."


    Seraphina responded: "So, what are you implying?" Iliana answered: "I mean, we¡¯re at war now, and we¡¯re in the process of choosing a strong individual to strengthen our forces. So why not choose both?"


    Seraphina replied: "I agree with you, but the laws prevent us from doing that. The number of Golden Knights has been fixed at six knights since ancient times."


    Garok spoke: "True, but can¡¯t we give the second-place finisher an honorary title or a position as an esteemed knight or something like that?"


    Seraphina answered: "Yes, I think that might work."


    Iliana spoke: "Good. I¡¯ll go now to prepare for the final match. I think you should  watch it."


    "Alright, I¡¯ll pass by during the match after I finish some work on the weapons."


    Then Iliana and Seraphina left. As Garok was about to leave, Kai stopped him. "Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?"


    "Oh, it¡¯s you, Kai. You haven¡¯t spoken today at all, I didn¡¯t even notice you were here."


    "I want to ask you something."


    "Okay, go ahead."


    "The person you spoke to, the current commander of the Kingdom of Winds, from what you told us, it''s clear that he¡¯s not acting alone but was sent by someone or a group."


    "Yes, I¡¯ve considered that possibility too."


    "Then it¡¯s clear that we need to investigate this matter."


    "And how do you suggest we do that?"


    "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take a small team and go on a reconnaissance mission."


    "Why don¡¯t we all go on the search operation?"


    "No, that would draw attention in case there are any watchers. We don¡¯t know what kind of entity we¡¯re dealing with, so keep it a secret and cover it up if necessary."


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Alright, understood." "By the way, where has Orus gone?"


    "I don¡¯t know, he didn¡¯t tell me."


    "Then I guess he might have thought the same thing. Listen, Garok, if I¡¯m delayed in the search mission, take over the task of investigating the history of the winning knight. I don¡¯t want them to contact me for that and find me missing."


    "That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s a formal task anyway."


    "Alright, I¡¯m counting on you." Then Kai left and exited the palace.


    Meanwhile, Knight V was preparing for his final fight. He was sitting, thinking about something, and looking at his weapon.


    "My brother, I will find him, and he will pay the price. That psychopath will pay the price for everyone he has hurt, and I will protect the weak from people like him. Butcher Morgan, I¡¯ll find you, no matter what world you¡¯re in, no matter what town you¡¯re in. One day, I will rip your guts out and make you taste the same pain you caused them. I promise you."


    Kai prepared his horse and a group of knights, and they set off outside the walls of the Golden Kingdom toward a small village famous for its trade caravans, the same village where Knight V and Michael clashed for the first time.


    As for Orus, he was heading to a place called the Desert Market, located in the desert area outside the borders of the Golden Kingdom. It wasn¡¯t too far, but it was a market set up like tents and carpets after midnight, famous for gathering illegal and unlicensed trades. It was also a place where secret information was exchanged between gangs, bought, or traded. It might seem strange how such a place exists near a group of large kingdoms without their criminals being caught, but that''s because, first, it¡¯s outside the kingdoms¡¯ boundaries, meaning they have no authority over it. Secondly, they indirectly benefit from parallel financial exchanges. Moreover, it''s possible to buy information that cannot be obtained through official channels or exchange goods between two kingdoms without disclosing it or making it an official transaction. It¡¯s a market that benefits all parties. It seems that Orus was investigating something there to uncover the truth about Shane and what exactly was going on.


    The night before the final match, at 2:30 AM, A group of knight guards heard a scream coming from a nearby tavern near one of their watch areas. "Sir, did you hear that scream?"


    "Don¡¯t worry about it, they¡¯re just a group of useless drunks."


    Then, louder sounds of breaking and screaming followed, and the guards realized something was wrong. Two guards approached, opened the door, and aimed their weapons.


    "What¡¯s happening here?"


    People, who seemed to have lost their minds, were covered in a strange aura, and their eye sockets were oozing blood. They attacked the guards as if they were wild animals. The guards began firing, but it wasn¡¯t enough. They had taken down many of them, but the injured guards also turned into those creatures.


    "Send a distress call, we need Golden Knights¡¯ support immediately."


    The message reached the palace, where Iliana was in her room working on the final speech for tomorrow¡¯s tournament and also doing final preparations and instructions, when she heard a loud knock on the door. She opened the door quickly to find one of the assistants.


    "I apologize, my lady, there''s an emergency. There are monsters attacking the night guard squad in Wing 3. They¡¯re asking for help urgently."


    "Okay, I¡¯ll be there immediately."


    A few minutes later, Iliana and Seraphina arrived.


    "Seraphina, just monitor the situation and try to discover the problem. I¡¯ll take care of the attack."


    "Alright."


    Iliana quickly dashed forward, drew her sword, and unleashed a fiery aura around her as she attacked the savage soldiers. Indeed, she cut down many of them with little effort, leaving the guards in awe of her strength, especially since she was called "The Fire Queen" in the kingdom. This is the difference between an average-level knight and a Golden Knight.


    After a short while, they heard an explosion from the tavern wall. A huge monster appeared with the same aura, a terrifying jaw, and massive claws. The monster attacked directly, but Iliana blocked it with a fiery shield. Then, she launched an attack with fiery crystal stones that fell on the monsters and killed them. Iliana returned her sword to its sheath, but the monster awoke and surprised her with a sudden attack. But Seraphina noticed it and cut off its arm with a cutting water magic attack.


    "Isn¡¯t this thing dead?" Iliana wondered, then exploded its head, confirming its death.


    " what happened here?" Iliana asked.


    Seraphina replied, "All the soldiers who attacked us had scratches or bite marks on them. It¡¯s magical infection or some kind of curse that started from that monster."


    "But how did it enter the kingdom?"


    "I¡¯ll take the monster¡¯s body to the lab. Maybe we¡¯ll get some clues or answers there." Seraphina replied,


    "Things are happening, the situation in the kingdom isn¡¯t good."


    Then Iliana ordered the captain of the guard: "From today, triple the number of patrols and focus on searching for monsters or individuals in similar conditions to what we found today."


    "Understood, my lady, we¡¯ll carry that out."

 Knight V vs Michael the final of golden knights tournament (1)

    The next morning, the final day arrived ¨C the ultimate challenge of the Golden Knights Tournament. Iliana spoke, "It seems that Orus and Kai haven¡¯t returned yet. Damn it, now we have to handle the guarding and organizing ourselves. Garok, could you please monitor and intervene in case of any emergencies?"


    "Of course, no problem," Garok replied.


    "Great. I¡¯ll take care of the matters inside the tournament arena, and you¡¯ll handle anything outside the tournament in case of an emergency."


    "Alright then."


    A few minutes later, Seraphina arrived. "Listen, I¡¯ve reached some conclusions from the lab," she said.


    Iliana asked, "What did you find?"


    Seraphina answered, pulling out a small vial containing a strange substance. "This material, I extracted it from the blood of that creature, and it''s also present in the blood of all the fallen soldiers. I don¡¯t know exactly what it is yet, but I¡¯ve subjected it to a series of tests and magical reactions, and I¡¯ve gathered some results."


    The knights nodded for her to continue explaining.


    "This substance is a type of blood toxin. It travels through the blood and reaches the body¡¯s magical energy pathways, altering the magic and changing the nature of the creature into those monsters we saw."


    Iliana asked, "But how could this happen? Where did these things come from, anyway?"


    Seraphina answered, "This substance isn¡¯t natural. It was intentionally created in some kind of lab or facility. Look, I¡¯ll show you something else."


    Seraphina opened the vial, and the liquid began to turn into gas. "Try not to inhale this. I¡¯m not sure if it only affects the blood or if it also works through respiration. It¡¯ll need more testing."


    Garok spoke, "So, you¡¯re saying that this substance was created somewhere and then made its way into the kingdom through a monster, which then carried it to the soldiers?"


    Seraphina replied, "The monster we saw is the final stage of the toxin¡¯s effect. If we had taken longer to defeat the infected soldiers, they would have turned into the same kind of monster."


    Iliana said, "So, the infection started from someone who was exposed to that substance."


    "Exactly," Seraphina confirmed. "Now we need to find a way to track the source of this substance."


    Iliana interrupted, "Sorry, but it seems that the final match is about to begin. Let¡¯s handle the tournament first, and then we¡¯ll deal with the other matters."


    "Alright then, let¡¯s head to the arena," Seraphina said.


    The two knights headed towards the arena for the final match, while Garok stayed behind to monitor the situation. If any other monsters emerged, he was the only knight available at the moment.


    In the arena, the competitors, Michael and Knight V, along with his team, arrived. The audience was packed, excited for the long-awaited battle, which would begin in just a few minutes.


    Iliana announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached the final round of the Golden Knights Tournament. May the best performer win. Now, let¡¯s welcome the competitors to the ring."


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Michael entered, followed by Knight V and his companions, with loud applause from the excited crowd. There, Knight V saw Michael and spoke, "I will end this with you now, once and for all."


    Iliana announced the start of the match.


    Immediately at the beginning of the fight, Knight V spoke, "You two, get out of the ring."


    Knight V¡¯s companions responded, "Understood, sir," and they left without argument, much to everyone¡¯s surprise. Knight V had sensed that the fight would be extremely brutal and felt Michael was ready to kill without hesitation, just as he had with the two who fought with Wolf.


    Michael spoke, "What are you doing?"


    Knight V answered, "This way is better. I can move now without obstacles. Just like you, you prefer to fight alone, right?"


    He then drew his axe and launched an attack, striking the ground heavily. Michael dodged and pulled out his sword, engaging in a weapon clash. Knight V¡¯s weapon was covered with seismic magical energy, so every time it clashed with Michael¡¯s sword, Michael felt the shock¡¯s force as if his bones might shatter and collapse. Michael vanished and delivered a behind-the-back explosive attack, but the explosion did little to harm Knight V.


    At least Michael now knew that assassination tactics were the way to go in this battle, as a direct confrontation would be futile against Knight V. The raw strength advantage would be overwhelming for Knight V.


    "Michael, before I kill you here, answer me this question," Knight V said.


    "Hmm?" Michael replied.


    "Do you know the butcher Morgan?" Knight V continued.


    Michael answered, "Why are you asking me about a criminal? If you want to talk, just say whatever you want clearly."


    Knight V responded, "Alright then. Are you working with the butcher Morgan? What do you know about his business and trade?"


    Michael replied, "I¡¯ve never worked with him, and I don¡¯t care about his trade. But if it helps you, as far as I know, he¡¯s involved in organ trade and some other things."


    Knight V said, "So tell me, what were you doing in that cave? Targeting those blue-boned elves, they are the main targets for Morgan¡¯s trade."


    Michael answered, "It was a separate job, a special request from a regular customer. Now that I¡¯ve answered you..."


    Michael vanished and appeared behind Knight V, trying to strike his neck with a dagger infused with magical energy. However, it did no damage, and he couldn¡¯t break through Knight V¡¯s armor.


    "Useless," Michael thought, trying to remember how he had managed to damage Knight V in the Hallucination Cave. He wondered why the explosion there had caused injuries, but now it had no effect.


    Suddenly, the ground began shaking, and Knight V rushed forward, landing a punch on Michael¡¯s chest with incredible speed, followed by a punch to his face that knocked him to the ground. The shaking stopped, and Knight V lifted Michael by his neck, speaking as he applied pressure.


    "Are you lying or not? You really don¡¯t work with Morgan?"


    "I¡¯ve already told you, I don¡¯t know anything," Michael gasped.


    Then, fiery slash attacks appeared and hit Knight V, but they did nothing. Immediately after, Michael broke free from Knight V¡¯s grip and attempted to launch a fiery strike with his sword, but Knight V dodged and parried the successive attacks after drawing his axe.


    After exchanging a few blows, Michael tried to surprise him with another fiery slash, but again, it had no effect. He was then struck directly by Knight V¡¯s axe, knocking him to the ground and injuring his chest.


    Michael quickly got up, clutching his wound, and pressed on it.


    Knight V approached, preparing to finish him off. "If you¡¯re insisting you don¡¯t know anything, then we¡¯ll end it here and now."


    He raised his axe high, but then a huge explosion from within Knight V pushed him several meters back, leaving blood and small cracks in his armor. It seemed that Michael had found the solution.


    "The cooldown period for nullifying magical attacks... six seconds. After that, your armor becomes vulnerable, doesn¡¯t it?" Michael said.


    Knight V responded, "Hmm, good observation, but not a big deal. As I said, I¡¯ll finish you off quickly if you have nothing else to say."


    Meanwhile, Kai was heading to the Merchant Village in search of answers, already close to the village. Orus, on the other hand, was heading to the night market and estimated he¡¯d arrive in a few hours after sunset, which was a good time, as the market would already be in full swing.


    In one of the alleys in the Golden Kingdom, Garok had already encountered another creature similar to the one Iliana and Seraphina had found. However, Garok stopped it and dealt with it before it became a problem. What was strange was that he hadn¡¯t expected another creature to appear so soon.


    "Sir, what should we do with the corpse?" one of the guards asked.


    "Send it to Seraphina¡¯s lab," Garok answered, then spoke to one of the guards, "Intensify the search for these creatures. It seems the kingdom is facing a bigger problem than we thought."

 Knight V vs Michael (2) : the sixth Golden knight

    "Your armor has a cooldown period of six seconds before it cancels out the magic."


    "Alright, true, you''re sharp as expected from a professional killer."


    Michael drew his sword, ignited it with fire magic, and charged straight at Knight V, clashing with his axe at the same time.


    "Fire Slash"


    Michael attacked using his special fire cutting technique from multiple directions, while Knight V avoided them, blocking Michael''s sword strikes with his axe. He was dodging because Michael had discovered the cooldown period of the armor, meaning that once it canceled the magic, Michael could attack and exploit the opportunity to deal the maximum damage.


    Suddenly, Michael delivered a strike and swiftly backed off, causing an explosive fire attack to erupt from the ground beneath Knight V, forcing him to block with his shield. Immediately afterward, Michael moved at incredible speed without wasting any time, drawing two daggers for fast movement and enhancing them with explosive magic. He began attacking Knight V, who tried to dodge the special dagger strikes, but at the same time, Michael used his fire cutting techniques, making evasion nearly impossible. Knight V fell into the trap, getting hit by the first dagger in his upper arm, causing an explosion. He backed off a little, and then Michael closed in again, stabbing him in the abdomen, causing another explosion.


    Knight V rose from the smoke, his armor cracked, and blood covered his body. He was clearly losing patience and realized he had been too lenient with Michael. Continuing to make mistakes against such an opponent could lead to death.


    Knight V raised his axe.


    "You have explosive techniques, so it''s fine."


    Michael replied, "You better be careful."


    The Knight struck the ground with his axe, causing the entire arena to crack and an enormous earthquake to occur.


    The arena collapsed completely, turning into a heap of shattered rocks. A powerful aura appeared around Knight V, and he suddenly disappeared, reappearing with incredible speed right in front of Michael, who was trying to regain his balance, and received a tremendous punch to his chest. Before Michael could comprehend what happened, he took two more direct punches followed by a heavy kick to the abdomen.


    Michael tried to pull back, but his injuries slowed him down, allowing Knight V to catch up quickly and shatter him with a more powerful blow, knocking him to the ground.


    It seemed that, in addition to his overwhelming physical strength, Knight V was also fast and had an immense amount of magical energy.


    At that moment, Michael threw a smoke explosive, blinding Knight V, then got up, grabbing a dagger in his good arm and rushing towards Knight V¡¯s neck. But the Knight''s reaction was faster, and he managed to avoid the strike.


    He then punched Michael forcefully in the face again, grabbed his head, and lifted it upwards.


    As the smoke cleared, the Knight appeared, crushing Michael''s head.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Now, do you have any final words, or will you at least tell me what you know about the butcher Morgan? Then I might spare your life."


    Michael responded with difficulty, "Didn''t I tell you to be careful?"


    A small dagger fell from Michael¡¯s clothing. While suspended in mid-air, Michael kicked the dagger, sending it directly toward Knight V. He was hit by the dagger because his arm was occupied.


    Flames ignited on Knight V from the magical technique stored in the dagger, buying Michael some time to escape from the Knight. However, Knight V¡¯s shield negated the magic, and the damage was minimal.


    Just a second after, Michael signaled with his hand.


    "Ninth floor Hell Fox."


    A massive magical aura appeared in the shape of a fox''s head, emitting fire and flames that directly attacked the Knight. Due to the shield¡¯s cooldown period, Knight V took full damage from the attack, which caused massive destruction in the arena.


    Magical energy surged in the area, and burning stones from the shattered arena were flung around, threatening the audience. Iliana rushed to the stands and deflected a huge rock that almost fell onto the spectators. Seraphina formed a water wall to block the remaining projectiles until the situation calmed down.


    "It almost got out of control," Iliana spoke.


    "Well, at least everyone is safe now. But what happened in the arena?"


    From the heart of the heat, which was engulfed in molten lava, Knight V emerged, his armor severely shattered, with massive burns and blood covering his body.


    Seraphina spoke, "It''s amazing that he''s still alive after an attack like that."


    Iliana responded, "Another person would have already been done for."


    The Knight grabbed his axe with difficulty and began moving toward Michael. Both their magical energies had significantly dropped due to injuries and overuse. It seemed that the final minutes of the battle had truly arrived.


    Michael gripped his sword and charged, and so did Knight V with his axe. They collided again, engaging in another fight with the remaining magical power they had.


    Knight V dropped a heavy attack on Michael, but Michael blocked it with his sword, which could not withstand such a blow, so he let go of it and fluidly slid out of the way, striking the axe into the ground.


    Knight V noticed Michael''s movement, but the attack had already come. Michael pulled out his dagger, focusing all the remaining fire and explosive magic he had into it, aiming for the Knight''s neck. At the last moment, Knight V moved and took the blow to his helmet, which shattered half of it. The strike penetrated his face just below his eye, and then Michael dragged the dagger downward, burning the exposed part of the Knight¡¯s face. Michael stepped back a little.


    However, Knight V grabbed Michael¡¯s arm before he could escape and punched him in the chest with the last of his strength, shattering his ribcage. Michael collapsed to the ground, unable to move.


    Knight V pulled his axe from the ground and swung it to strike the fallen Michael. However, just as the axe was about to fall, a whistle from above ended the match.


    The crowd was confused, wondering what had happened.


    Iliana spoke, "According to the magical field we set around the arena, Knight V¡¯s leg is outside the ring, and according to the rules, he is out of the match. Therefore, the remaining contestant inside the arena wins. So, the winner is Michael. The championship ends with Michael becoming the Sixth Golden Knight. Congratulations!"


    Michael spoke weakly to Knight V, "You had the chance to kill me, why didn¡¯t you?"


    Knight V placed his axe on his back and walked away.


    "The rules are the rules. You won fairly, so it''s over."


    "What about all the chasing and investigation you did?"


    "I¡¯ll pretend I didn¡¯t see you and continue my investigation from other places and clues."


    "So, meet me after the ceremony ends."


    "Hmm?"


    " you wanted informations about the Butcher''s case you''re investigating."


    Knight V heard Michael¡¯s words and then left the arena.


    Meanwhile, in the Wind Kingdom, a whole army of modified beasts was being beaten and trained by instructors in a special facility that Shane had established underground.


    Shane spoke to his advisor, "So, what¡¯s the news from the Golden Kingdom?"


    "We¡¯ve received a few reports that they¡¯ve noticed the escaped beasts there and are investigating them."


    "And what about the king?"


    "There¡¯s been a major blackout. We haven¡¯t been able to get any information."


    "Just as I expected. It seems like we¡¯ll be starting the war in the next few days and our beasts will be at their gates "

 The Knights Armor

    Thus, the Golden Knights¡¯ tournament ended with Michael being crowned as the sixth Golden Knight of the Golden Kingdom. That very day, the coronation celebrations began across the kingdom. However, despite the grandeur of the event, it was quieter and less intense compared to previous celebrations in the kingdom. This was due to the precautionary measures, such as the guards stationed throughout the districts to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control in case any other monsters broke through. Another issue was the absence of the king from the celebration.


    At that time, in the royal palace at 8 PM, Iliana returned after doing something. She was discussing something with a group of advisors, looking visibly angry as she spoke to them. In the end, they left, and then she came to speak with Garok and Seraphina.


    "It seems that the king won¡¯t be coming. It seems he¡¯s ill, and we¡¯re forbidden from visiting him right now. I got this information forcibly from those vile advisors, and I went to visit him despite their objections to verify their claims."


    Seraphina responded, "What do you mean?"


    Then, Seraphina became agitated again, "These fools planned to cover it up and tried to convince me that he¡¯s busy and has tasks to attend to right now. Did they think we were fools or something?"


    Garok spoke, "Why did they decide to cover it up? Are they planning something?"


    Seraphina replied, "First, the transformed monsters that appeared due to people being poisoned by that strange venom, which we¡¯ve confirmed was deliberately manufactured somehow. And now, the king is sick, and the advisors are trying to cover it up."


    Garok asked, "Do you think the two things are related?"


    Seraphina responded, "Yes, and to make sure, I must examine the king myself."


    Garok said, "But how will you convince the advisors? They¡¯ll tell you that examining the king is prohibited, and only his personal doctors are allowed to do so."


    Iliana spoke, "That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t worry about what they say. Seraphina will examine the king after the coronation ceremony. If they refuse, I¡¯ll force them, even if I have to cut their heads off. There¡¯s a conspiracy happening here, and we need to stop it quickly."


    An hour passed, and then Michael finally arrived with his palace assistants after finishing his treatment in the special magical healing room. Michael approached and shook hands with the present knights. Garok then spoke to him, "Congratulations, Sir Michael, on your victory and your joining the Golden Knights. We apologize for the absence of all the knights and the king due to some urgent matters in the kingdom."


    Michael replied, "It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m happy to join you."


    The coronation ceremony began, and the special shield and honorary weapon were handed over. The official announcement was made, accompanied by applause inside the palace.


    Two hours passed from the celebration, and as it neared its end, Garok approached Michael and spoke to him, "Sir Michael, we have a knights¡¯ meeting tomorrow. Since you¡¯re officially a Golden Knight now, there are some things we need to inform you about."


    "Alright, I understand," Michael responded.


    It was midnight, and after all the celebrations were over, Michael headed to the residence designated for him as a Golden Knight. But he first went to a peaceful, natural place on the outskirts of the kingdom. There, he found Knight V, who turned and spoke.


    "It seems you really came."


    "What did you expect?"


    "Well, even though you¡¯re a killer, you still have a word."


    "It¡¯s fine, it doesn¡¯t matter. But it seems your injuries have disappeared, and your shield has been repaired."


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yes, I was treated in the advanced healing room, and the shield was repaired. But as you can see, it still has some damage due to their lack of sufficient technology."


    "That¡¯s strange."


    "Anyway, you¡¯ll know the reason after I tell you now why I¡¯m looking for that so-called butcher, Morgan."


    Michael nodded in agreement.


    "Years ago, before I became a knight, I suffered from a strange problem, or condition, or illness¡ªcall it what you will. I was unable to use or channel magical energy in any way, unlike my brother, who could use it as naturally as any other person. I went to several healers, and he also tried searching for the cause of the problem in his academic books where he studied, but to no avail. Eventually, I visited an advanced magical specialist, and he confirmed that my body had no magical pathways at all. Meaning, I couldn¡¯t channel magic through my hands, release it, or use it without passing through a conduit or pathway. And so, it was impossible for me to use magic at all. But I didn¡¯t stop there. I really wanted to become a true knight, even without magic. I found myself mastering axe combat skills better and continued down that path. My brother helped me get into a special academy for fighters due to his reputation and the respect he received in the academic circles, especially after becoming an engineer in magical energy. I trained in the academy despite my difficulties due to my inability to use magic, but I made up for it with physical strength and came close to my colleagues¡¯ level there. After leaving the academy years later, I started working in monster hunting and completing missions with various guilds and adventurers, eventually forming small teams of warriors. That was the first time I became a leader. The group was called V, and since I used to mockingly refer to myself as a knight with my friends in the group, they started calling me Knight V. They were wonderful people."


    Knight V paused for a moment and seemed lost in thought before continuing, "Anyway, one day my brother came to me and told me that he had found a solution for my magical problem, and that this would elevate me to an entirely new level. Indeed, he designed a super shield and a weapon as well. He crafted them from a special material he obtained from magical material suppliers associated with the academy, who told him they had acquired new metal pieces from a special source. He made the shield with these materials, and it stood out because it could extract magical energy from the center of the body and allow me to use it. In other words, it worked instead of the natural pathways."


    Michael spoke, "That¡¯s why I sensed such a tremendous magical energy from the shield and the ability to cancel out magic. You can¡¯t keep the opposite effect because you¡¯re relying on the power of your magical center, not the shield itself."


    Then Knight V continued, "Exactly. It worked efficiently, and one day, my brother noticed something strange in his lab while studying those metals. He used a special machine that worked with magical circuits to separate the materials, and there he discovered something. The metals weren¡¯t of natural origin; they were manufactured from two substances: naturally strong metals of known origin, and the second strange thing was a glowing blue substance he had never seen before. After some time of research in various places and sources, he discovered that no one talked about this substance in regular places, only in illegal sources. Eventually, he traced it back to its source: blue bone marrow from a special type of elves."


    Michael responded, "They¡¯re the same type as the ones in that cave."


    Knight V continued, "Yes, that¡¯s right. My brother learned about the illegal trade of this material and its various uses: longevity for the rich, combining it with magical elements, and more. When he decided to investigate further, things didn¡¯t end well. He was found dead, along with a group of my team members who had gone with him. I was on a separate mission, hunting a giant Hydra that attacked a village. When I returned, I heard that all my comrades and my brother had been killed on a mission. All of his papers and investigations were disposed of, and the matter was covered up. Even the investigative teams closed the case and declared their deaths to be due to an attack by high-powered magical beasts. From the remaining evidence and papers, I only knew of the one behind all of this: the butcher, Morgan. Since then, I¡¯ve been trying to trace any lead that could bring me to him."


    Michael spoke, "I understand."


    He continued, "The Mist Moon City, the place now under Morgan¡¯s control, has become the largest center of corruption: killings, theft of illegal trades. No one dares enter or even approach it due to the dense fog that covers it all year round, along with the unnatural monsters living there, and the criminals who reside there. Unlike normal criminals, they rely on the powers of the twisted Moon Spirit, which can even be found in the creatures living there. Not to mention Morgan¡¯s high-level followers. This explains the deaths of your brother and your companions. He also has connections with many wealthy individuals and governments that cover up his trades for their own benefit."


    Knight V spoke, "So, the Mist Moon City."


    Michael replied, "That¡¯s not my concern, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to get rid of him."


    Knight V said, "But I¡¯ll try anyway. By the way, one of the Golden Knights spoke to me and wanted to give me a high honorary knight position in the kingdom, but I refused."


    Michael responded, "I don¡¯t know about that, but I don¡¯t think the knights can help you anyway, as I¡¯ve explained to you."


    Knight V replied, "But hiring a killer specialist might help?"


    Michael asked, "What do you mean?"


    Knight V responded sarcastically, "You know what I mean. Or now you¡¯re a Golden Knight. Haha. I know you want to get something out of this position."


    Michael replied, "If you want to hire me, I¡¯ll help, but I need some time right now."


    Knight V responded, "I know. I also won¡¯t rush without thinking. I¡¯ll prepare first, and that will take some time."


    "Alright then."


    With that, Knight V left, and Michael returned to the Knights'' headquarters to await tomorrow''s meeting.