Earth's Greatest Magus

Klea had no preference as to whom between the two shall receive the sword. If she could get to choose she would rather give it to Emery.

These past few days, after witnessing the sword's formidable might and its true potential, it felt too great of a waste for it to relegate it to the mere status of ornament or emblem of the Kingdom. It felt like a travesty, a shameful waste of its undeniable power.

Thus she was driven to dispatch a message to King Fjolrim, not only to seek his aid in liberating the sword from the seal that bound it, but also to discover a valid pretext to take the sword away from the Britannia Kingdom.

She just knew that the sword would play a great role in the duels with the Kronos faction. Unless Arthur could persuade her of his worthiness to be one of the 10 candidates, she would rather give it to someone else.

In the meantime, the young man brought by Fjolrim, Brandt by name, seemed to be a much more promising candidate.

[Brandt]

[Battle power: 58]

[Spirit force: 199]

[Spirit Aptitude: B]

He was a Sky Realm figure at the peak of rank 6. Someone as strong as the famed swordsman couple of the Han Dynasty. This young man was probably the best talent she could find on Earth.

Despite his youthful, elegant appearance befitting of someone who was in their twenties, Klea suspected he was at least in his thirties, given his cultivation stage.

She gave a nod of approval at his stats, fully aware he had far surpassed Arthur in every field. Yet Klea had also taken the measure of Arthur's prowess.

[Arthur Pendragon]

[Battle Power: 45]

[Spirit force: 99]

[Spirit Aptitude: C]

In comparison, Arthur's statistics seemed lackluster, but even if that was the case, Arthur, too, was a peak rank 5, on a par with Gwen, with a mere 10 points more in battle power. In fact such a difference was to be expected, as rank 6 marked a significant milestone in one's cultivation.

The Fey bloodliners were granted their own unique powers, while Brandt drew on his years of experience.  With his lack of legacy and merely considering the stats alone, Arthur seemed ill-equipped to contest for the sword.

Nonetheless, Klea was determined to gauge their mettle, and to ascertain the limits of their strength.

"You will be fighting me" Klea declared.

For a fair test and to even the playing field, Klea took out her lavender sword. Unlike what they first expected, she actually had no intention of battling with swords. Given her current proficiency, neither contender would endure for even five seconds against her, hardly even getting a gauge of their abilities.

With a casual stride, she walked to the center of the room, and she began to inscribe a circle upon the floor, her movements fluid and precise as she etched the intricate pattern in a matter of moments. Stepping back from the circle's edge, she called forth Brandt, the current wielder of the sword, to stand within.

"Prepare yourself!!" she called out, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she spoke.

As soon as the words left her lips, Klea invoked a spell, and suddenly, water surged from the lines etched on the floor, coalescing into five human-sized golems with two large arms.

[Water Golem  - level 30]

[Elemental creature - Tier 1]

[Battle power - 30]

Unfazed by the appearance of the fantastical creatures, The Vanir warrior drew the Excalibur sword swiftly into his sword defensive stance.

Seeing the contender ready, Klea explained, "There will be 5 summons every minute. Let's see if you can hold on for 10 minutes. Incase you both fail to do so, the one who kills the most summons will prove their worth"

It was a straightforward test, and Brandt nodded his agreement

"Begin!" declared Klea, a sparkle of hidden excitement glinting in her eyes as she eagerly anticipated the showcase of the warrior's talents.

With the legendary sword in his hands, Brandt leapt into action, he flashed it left and right, as he cleaved each golem in twain, reducing them to watery splashes on the ground. For them to only reform into stronger, faster and more resilient versions.

Upon witnessing what's happening in the center of the room, the round table knights were awestruck by the Vanir warrior's skill. Right away, they realized that this warrior from the east could defeat any of them, most likely with ease.

When the five minutes elapsed, Klea upgraded her formation, and the golems evolved into a more powerful version. The Knightly observers were amazed at the transformation, but Brandt remained focused on the task at hand.

[Water Golem  - level 60]

[Elemental creature - Tier 2]

[Battle power - 60]

Faster and stronger, they battered Brandt with their giant arms. With lightning-fast movements, Brandt parried and deflected a couple hits. But soon, the Golems overpowered with relative ease and knocked him to his knees.

The Knights sighed, relieved that the outsider was only able to hold out for half of the time but to their surprise. Just as one of the Golden Knights opened his mouth to leave a remark at Brandt's performance, an unexpected situation occurred.

Brandt's tattoos released an ethereal blue light, and a war cry rang through the depths of his throat. To everyone's surprise, Brandt, the man at the brink of defeat, continued his fight.

Glita who was standing near Klea couldn't help but to comment that this power was very similar to the Akavi of the fey village.

[Brandt]

[Battle power: 58 (68)]

With renewed strength, Brandt stood up, fiercely swinging his sword. As he cut and smashed his way through the surrounding summons, there was even a slight elemental power manifested within his strike, a lightning one.

By giving it his all Brandt managed to kill a dozen more enhanced summons. However, as the minutes ticked by it became clear that he was not fast enough to defeat them all and escape his predicament. At the 9th minute, ten elementals towered over him.

Overpowered and outnumbered, flaws started appearing in his technique and soon he got hit multiple times, still the fierce warrior held his stand and managed to stay the whole ten minutes.

"Very nice, you survived the challenge and killed forty-six summons" announced Klea, with a look of approval. There was indeed some potential in this warrior of Vanir.

Then Klea continued, her gaze shifting towards Arthur. "It's your turn now."

The anticipation in the chamber was palpable, as all eyes turned towards their King, eager to see what he would do in the face of this formidable challenge.