Duke Pendragon

“Wh, what…”

The crowd was not able to hide their shock as they watched the duel. The same held true for the cavaliers. Even though it was a one-on-four duel, two people had been knocked out already. Moreover, they had suffered serious injuries. They would need to spend at least two months in bed.

“Is that man a monster…?”

When someone muttered, the relatively young cavaliers nodded at the same time as if they were possessed. With the strength Isla displayed, he was easily comparable to the strongest cavalier out of the Seven Clans gathered here today.

However, the older, more experienced members of the crowd smiled bitterly. They understood why the four cavaliers were struggling against a single opponent, and why Miranda and Miguel Ramirez had been defeated in a miserable manner in less than 10 exchanges.

Ortiz was the only one from the younger generation who realized the crux of the matter.

“Tsk, there is no way that they would be hand-in-hand with each other. How could they possibly work together well when this is the first time they’ve worked together? Moreover, all of them are so different from each other…”

The two Valencia Cavaliers turned their heads with a surprised expression at Ortiz’ words. Ortiz continued with a shrug.

“If four warriors from the same clan with similar strengths stepped up instead, things would not have gone this way. They would already be familiar with each other, and they would have learned how to battle against a single opponent.”

“Ah…”

The two cavaliers nodded their heads.

Naturally, the Valencia Clan also had a technique for allowing multiple warriors to work together. It was a type of formation to be taken when dealing with large monsters.

“But it’s not just a loss.”

“…What?”

One of the cavaliers asked back with a confused expression, and Ortiz looked towards the arena with a sharp expression as he replied.

“He has already fought with two people, and he blocked the cavaliers’ attacks one after another. The physical strength of man is not infinite. He is sure to be in an exhausted state.”

“Hmm!”

Ortiz had a point.

Knights and cavaliers were different from ordinary people. Those who were able to handle the spirit possessed far greater stamina and strength compared to others. Therefore, they were able to fight for a long time on the battlefield without taking a break. However, it was only possible when they maintained a steady, limited output of spirit and strength.

When one was faced with a top-notch cavalier capable of handling spirit freely, they were forced to spend much more spirit and strength. Isla would have been physically drained by now.

“Now, Pendragon’s knight, what will you do?”

A faint smile hung around Ortiz’ mouth as he muttered softly.

However, his eyes were glowing as cold and sharp as a knife as his gaze remained unmoving from Isla. He was unwilling to miss a single move.

***

“Phew.”

Isla collected his rough breaths. He could feel his rapid heartbeat and the tightness of his body’s muscles.

‘It really is a little difficult…’

He thought to himself. But in reality, it wasn’t only ‘a little’ difficult. The technique he employed to defeat Miranda and Miguel Ramirez had consumed more strength and spirit than expected. It was a technique he created after he became a griffon knight of the Pendragon Duchy. He had carefully observed the creatures. Even though the griffons were known as the King of the Sky, not all birds avoided them. Hawks and eagles were lone predators, and they tended to avoid griffons. However, ravens were fierce and travelled in groups. They did not back down from a fight against a griffon. Moreover, ravens were famous for being the smartest and most clever of birds.

When dozens of large crows flocked together, it became quite troublesome for a large griffon. If the griffons were still not fully matured, they often avoided or escaped from the ravens.

It was similar to the way humans would run away if they were attacked by dozens of sparrows or pigeons. Usually, humans were the hunters, but when dozens of creatures attacked together, they became flustered.

But for fully grown griffons, they did not always resort to running away. Unlike regular birds such as hawks or eagles, griffons were able to create a complete revolution of their wing bones. Therefore, it was possible for them to create a vortex of powerful winds by rotating their huge wings in the air.

The technique Isla utilized was based on his observations.

He would rotate his spear at a high speed to create a whirlpool, just like the griffons’ wings. Even though it was only for a moment, the spirit-filled revolution would be able to disturb the postures of knights or cavaliers.

In a duel between cavaliers, the slightest of mistakes could result in fatal consequences. As such, the technique had created a sufficient gap for Isla to overpower his opponents.

Unfortunately, it also had its downsides. The human body was different from that of the griffons, so the technique put a considerable strain on the body, proportional to its immense power.

‘It still needs to be developed further.’

But he had no choice but to use it.

It was more efficient to deal with several opponents at once instead of taking turns. That was also why he had provoked the clans to participate in the duel all at once.

“Hm!”

“Hoo! Hoo!”

The two remaining cavaliers quickly regained their calm and ignited their spirits. Isla took on a combat posture while observing them.

Suddenly, the two took on different postures while emitting a different type of energy.

Alvaro shifted the Mangoshu slightly forward while leaning the rapier to the side and back, while Mario Santana placed his spear by his side and took a step back.

Isla noticed that the two men were about to utilize their clans’ ultimate techniques. Unless they were fools, they would have realized that the opponent could not be beaten with normal measures.

There was only one method remaining.

They would focus their remaining strength and spirit into one last, final attack.

“Hoo…”

The flow of air around the two cavaliers began to fluctuate wildly as if to prove Isla’s predictions.

Fwoosh!

Thick, luminant light gathered around the two, lighting up their entire bodies and weapons like a blazing flame. They were about to employ a technique that was rarely used on the battlefield.

All of the clans possessed hidden techniques that were only to be used against other cavaliers or knights capable of wielding the spirit. Unless their bodies were made of steel, using such a technique multiple times could result in permanent damage to the body.

“Sua!”

Isla took in one last breath.

He recalled the battle he waged against the cavaliers who had been chasing him as he left Valvas. The two men who remained until the end had assumed similar positions. Of course, their skills had been inferior compared to the two in front of him now.

Shuaak!

Alvaro’s Mangoshu pounced towards Isla’s head like a poisonous serpent. However, Isla’s eyes were not fixated on the Mangoshu, but rather the rapier held in Alvaro’s right hand. The rapier was becoming blurry with movement.

In an instant, Isla drew an arc with the spear while lowering his posture.

Fwoosh!

As the Mangoshu brushed against his cheeks and drew a thin line of blood, his spear drew a short arc.

Crack!

The spear left behind a wave of spirit, then collided with the rapier that was aimed towards his abdomen.

Clang!

Along with a metallic sound, the rapier broke into two pieces and flew into the sky.

”Keuk!”

Crack!

A huge shock was transmitted to Alvaro and he was forced to drop the rapier from his right hand. Taking the opening, he twisted his left wrist in a bizarre direction and stabbed down.

The sharp end of the Mangoshu clawed down on Isla’s back.

At the same time, Mario Santana’s spear was headed directly towards Isla’s abdomen. After destroying the rapier, Isla’s body was still right next to Alvaro.

‘This is the end!’

The two cavaliers shouted in their heads at the same time. Then in the blink of an eye,

Fwoooosh!

Isla erupted with spirit and his spear rotated rapidly, creating two circles…

Boom! Thud!

A metallic ring and a striking sound were heard at the same time.

“Keuagh!”

Alvaro rolled to the side while screaming, and Mario Santana was sent flying, as if he had been punched in the abdomen.

Clang!

The broken rapier fell to the floor, and the shattered pieces of the wooden spear scattered over the ground.

”…..!”

The crowd became shocked.

They could not understand what had just happened in front of their eyes. For a moment, it seemed as if Isla’s spear had split into two. Then one person’s wrist was completely shattered, while the other flew back before fainting on the ground.

But the crowd was mostly Valvas men, and their silence did not last long.

“Wooooooohhh!!!”

With a huge roar, the crowd became riled as if a match had been thrown into a sea of oil.

“He won! Cavalier Isla won!”

“This is a legend! This is a legend in the making!”

Some shouted crazily, and some were even shedding hot tears. Valvas was a land where the strong were recognized, but none of them had ever seen such a fierce and tremendous duel before.

“He is the Knight King! Cavalier Isla is the second coming of the Knight King!”

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs. Then, others began to raise their voices as if they had promised.

“Knight King…! Knight King…!”

The words soon spread like a wave throughout the entire arena.

“Knight! King! Knight! King!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As countless people shouted while stomping their feet, the very air fluctuated and the ground seemed to rise and fall.

“…..”

As the crowd went wild after witnessing a legend, the cavaliers could only stare blankly with their mouths wide agape. All of them had witnessed it. Isla’s spear had broken into two after it collided with Alvaro’s rapier.

Immediately afterwards, Alvaro had displayed the Medien Clan’s unique technique, breaking his wrist bone to strike Isla’s back with the Mangoshu. At the same time, Mario Santana’s spear threatened to pierce straight through Isla’s abdomen.

They had been certain that the fight was over. Isla was defenseless after his spear had broken into two pieces.

However, they had been mistaken.

Cavalier Elkin Isla had broken his spear into two pieces on purpose. As soon as they split into two pieces, Isla rotated both of the shards. He managed to block the Mangoshu and destroyed Alvaro’s hand with one, while destroying the spear with the other in a frontal clash, sending Mario flying back.

He had combined his strength, skill, and beastly instincts to come up with a contingency plan to a seemingly impossible situation. However, it had produced clear results.

He had already made his mark as a legend. The stories would be passed down in the history of the Valvas Cavaliers.

“How could this be…”

“This, this is ridiculous…”

The heads and representatives of the four clans murmured with blank expressions.

“Knight! King!”

The chant of the crowd stung their ears. They instinctively realized when they looked up to Isla’s indifferent expression. He was looking down on everyone with the same deep, cold eyes from when he first made his appearance.

It no longer mattered if he was really a descendant of Mara Valencia.

Elkin Isla was a cavalier who was not lacking to take up the name of the Knight King.

However, one person showed a different reaction.

“Is it my turn now…?”

A ghastly voice caused the dazed cavaliers to come to their senses.

“It was a little boring.”

Tap. Tap.

He climbed up on the arena with a long spear on his shoulder, a friendly grin on his face. He was an elite warrior of the Valencia Clan, the strongest clan of Valvas. As he climbed up on the stage, he met the gaze of the arisen Knight King, an incarnate of the ultimate warrior from over a hundred years ago.