Chapter: Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
In the next instant, Xi Wei took a step forward.
But his figure had already appeared before Duke Bristol and Duke Corvet like a phantom. The King of Conquest Long Sword slashed down from above, its golden sword light reflecting a hazy halo on the Iron Throne.
Long sword met long sword.
The roar of steel was deafening.
This strike was barely parried by Duke Bristol. The immense strength from the sword almost brought him to his knees. Immediately, the second sword was swung by the King of Winter. Duke Corvet shoved his old friend aside and thrust his greatsword forward with both hands. The broad sword body acted like a shield, blocking this swing. But even so, a not-deep, not-shallow crack appeared on the blade of the greatsword that had accompanied him for over thirty years.
Xi Wei’s attack was ferocious and swift.
The King of Conquest Long Sword in his hand moved with great power and sweeping strikes.
He did not use any Qi skills. But relying solely on his higher-level Qi and greater strength, he had already suppressed the two half-step Champion Level knights, pushing them back step by step.
Golden aura danced on the sword.
The two old dukes could track the golden trajectory of the sword as it slashed.
But with every block, their internal organs trembled.
Xi Wei gave the two dukes no time to catch their breath. He pressed forward relentlessly, swinging the long sword left and right. The sword clashed with the greatsword and the shield, bounced off, and clashed again. Shattered metal fragments scattered everywhere.
Duke Bristol’s shield was covered in sword marks.
Duke Corvet’s greatsword was riddled with nicks.
In contrast, the King of Winter’s King of Conquest Long Sword remained unharmed. This was not only because the King of Winter’s long sword was made of better material, but also because the higher-level Qi protected the long sword.
Corvet panted heavily.
Sweat from his forehead slid into his eyes, causing them to sting.
His Qi was almost depleted, and his limb muscles ached as if they were tearing.
His obese body could no longer support him in high-intensity combat with such a heavy greatsword.
But the King of Winter’s long sword struck again. He knew the portly man before him was exhausted. This strike was powerful, and a golden lion roared amidst the swirling Qi. The golden light at the sword’s tip was as magnificent as a shooting star.
“Quick, dodge!” Duke Bristol roared, his vision blurring, a hallucination caused by extreme fatigue.
He desperately charged towards Duke Corvet, dropping his long sword and raising his shield with all his might, trying to help Corvet block the King of Winter’s cleave.
But Corvet, who stood frozen, suddenly reached out and forcefully pushed his shield.
This powerful shove hindered Bristol’s charge. He stumbled back two steps. As he exerted himself, his right leg buckled, and he knelt on the ground. In his vision, the Duke Corvet blocking him stood like a solid bastion, just as he had on the battlefield at Emerald Fortress years ago.
“No—!”
His eyes widened in fury, a mournful cry escaping him.
But the golden lion still devoured Duke Corvet’s massive body. He only had time to raise his greatsword, but the nick-filled greatsword could no longer bear the load and shattered into two pieces with a loud clang.
The King of Winter’s long sword pierced deeply into Corvet’s shoulder blade, then continued diagonally downward to his sternum. Scalding blood gushed out. Corvet’s eyes widened, and he choked out broken sobs from his throat. He slowly knelt on the ground, as if praying to the gods, his mouth slightly open, but only blood spewed out, dyeing his gray beard red.
“You killed him!” Duke Bristol slammed his fists on the ground, his eyes overflowing with anger and grief. He roared into a patch of shadow, “Yarlain, what are you waiting for!?”
At this moment, the King of Winter’s long sword had not yet been pulled from Corvet’s corpse. This was the best opportunity.
A dark shadow lunged out from a corner.
Yarlain darted towards the King of Winter like an owl of the night. He poured all his will into the short sword in his hand, a desperate gamble.
A whistling wind swept through the air.
Xi Wei did not choose to pull out the King of Conquest Long Sword. He released the hilt, letting the sword remain embedded in Duke Corvet’s chest.
As if he had eyes in the back of his head.
He turned his body slightly and reached back with his right hand, grabbing Yarlain by the collar.
Using the Sky Knight’s momentum.
Xi Wei clasped his arms and suddenly exerted force at his waist, unleashing a fierce over-the-shoulder throw that slammed him onto the floor.
Yarlain’s head collided with the hard marble floor with a crisp “crack” of breaking bones. The right hand holding the short sword was twisted into a strange shape. His head was buried in the shattered floor, surrounded by scattered stones. His broken waist and legs twitched a few times before he lay still.
Blood gradually spread through the cracks in the marble tiles, seeping into every corner of the palace.
Silence reigned around them.
Only Duke Bristol’s despairing, heavy breaths could be heard. He recalled their ambitions before entering the palace, the potential gains they might have reaped after killing Howard and the King of Winter, and now he felt only ridicule and foolishness.
Champion Knight Rank was still an insurmountable power.
Even though the three people present were all half-step Champion Knights.
“It seems you are not worthy of being my stepping stones.”
Xi Wei shook his head with regret.
He pulled the King of Conquest Long Sword from Corvet’s corpse.
The silver blade was covered in blood. With every enemy like Corvet he killed, the King of Conquest Long Sword grew stronger, and the King of Conquest’s divinity would enhance his overall abilities.
“King of Winter, I know I am destined to die here.” Duke Bristol took a deep breath.
He leaned back dejectedly against a stone pillar in the palace, his long sword stuck diagonally in the blood-soaked stone bricks, his cracked shield resting on his knees.
His limbs were weak and powerless; he had given up resisting.
A piercing pain shot through his wrist.
The King of Winter’s strength was too ferocious.
His wrist bone was already broken.
He had once harbored impractical fantasies, but those were fleeting desires. Being killed by the King of Winter like this now was the standard ending.
He gasped, a self-mocking smile playing on his lips:
“No matter who you support as king, Corvet, the two other Grand Dukes, and I were all destined to die. Our existence would shake your control over the Medon Empire.”
Xi Wei remained silent, quietly observing the aged knight.
“Will you harm my children?”
Duke Bristol gazed into Xi Wei’s eyes.
He sought an answer in those deep blue eyes, but they were too calm, like an abyss that devoured everything.
“No.” Xi Wei shook his head.
“For the new Empress of Medon, you are too old, too old to be controlled, so you must die. Don’t you understand that yourself?” He did not directly answer Duke Bristol’s question, but instead bent down and said to him:
“The Empire still needs people to manage it.”
“In that case, thank you for your mercy.” Duke Bristol smiled with relief.
“You’re welcome.”
Xi Wei raised his hand.
The long sword pierced the Duke’s chest.
