Chapter 105: The True King Beyond
Chapter 107: The True King Beyond
With Ham’s cold shout, his Knight Mech began to emit a faint purple Subtle Glow. Orbs of Spirit Matter condensed into light, one by one, encircling the mech Golem, continuously strengthening its shields and honing its weapons.
“…Is this Starlight Dwelling? Quite interesting.”
Aseran stopped her assault upon seeing this, observing Ham’s transformation with amusement.
“Youngster, you were too arrogant. You should have gone all out from the start; perhaps there would have been a sliver of a chance.”
The Great Knight’s voice pierced through his armor, reaching Aseran’s ears directly.
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“But now, it’s too late!”
Ham discarded his shield, gripped his lance with both hands, and charged towards the Dragon Princess with mighty strides. When Aseran unleashed her Dragonflame again, it only managed to leave scorching marks on his armor, marks that were quickly erased. The orbs surrounding Ham then split apart, transforming into lightning and moonlight that aided the Knight Mech’s assault.
“Boom—Boom—”
Engaging once more, Ham was no longer suppressed. Instead, he regained the initiative, relentlessly pressuring Aseran. In the previous battle, Ham had used three high-tier Artifices—”Armor Reconstruction,” “Energy Surge,” and “Harm Penalty”—and memorized them. Now that the preparation for Starlight Dwelling was complete, these high-tier Artifices would cycle continuously. Furthermore, Ham no longer needed to divert his attention and Spirit Matter to maintain them; they were effectively permanent buffs until the end of the battle.
Unending, boundless. This was the power of Starlight Dwelling, the ability to endlessly cycle high-tier Artifices! Its only drawback was its extremely slow activation speed, requiring intense concentration to construct the Artifices without a single flaw or error. In many situations, when facing a stronger opponent, one wouldn’t even survive long enough to activate it. Conversely, in easier battles against weaker opponents, using Starlight Dwelling was unnecessary. It only found its niche when facing opponents of similar strength, and even then, its application was quite limited.
Knights of the Starlight Dwelling lineage often appeared rather peculiar to outsiders, constantly exclaiming, “I’m activating, I’m activating,” yet failing to do so. After being defeated, they would always find excuses like, “Ah, my combat technique is blocking the activation!” or “I’m telling you, the Artifice is blocking the activation!”
In short, it was a highly demanding inherited Artifice, but its actual effects were well worth the stringent activation conditions. Under the Starlight Dwelling state, the Great Knight had achieved a complete shift in offense and defense, abandoning any form of shielding or blocking. He launched a barrage of ferocious slashes and thrusts at Aseran, accompanied by the manifestation of various Artifices, forcing the slender and elegant Knight Mech to retreat slightly.
The people of Chang saw this and erupted in cheers.
“See? This is the power of Lord Ham!”
“Speak when you’re called out!”
“Who dares to question Lord Ham now!”
The Dragon Princess, showing signs of being at a disadvantage under such an onslaught, couldn’t help but praise, “Invincible among peers… I suppose such praise is not unfounded. I concur.”
“Hmph, enough with the pleasantries,” Ham said sternly, without any courtesy. “Aren’t you going to unleash the Sword of Blazing Sun? I don’t want to be accused of a stolen victory. Show me your full strength, and then I will defeat you honorably!”
Aseran replied with a profound tone, “Show you my full strength? As you wish, I shall show you my full strength.”
“Thump—”
The Dragon Princess’s Knight Mech leaped back lightly. The sword and lance separated, the lance tip detached, and only the sword portion was drawn.
“Vroom— Vroom—”
An immense amount of Spirit Matter flowed onto the blade out of nowhere, igniting it with brilliant Dragonflame. It was as if the surrounding space itself was being scorched and hollowed out, scattering a solution like Gold. The Dragonflame extended, raged, and boiled.
Ham’s gaze became somber. He stopped, waiting for Aseran to charge up. As a traditional and disciplined Royal Knight, he believed that only by defeating the opponent’s inherited Artifice in a duel could he declare his victory. The Sword of Blazing Sun was indeed an incredibly powerful burst Artifice, but Ham firmly believed that Starlight Dwelling, once activated, was in no way inferior to the inheritance of a Dragon Species Knight. It was truly invincible among its Tier!
However, as Aseran continued to charge, Ham gradually realized something was amiss. The Dragon Princess lowered the longsword covered in Dragonflame. Despite being the ultimate blazing sun capable of illuminating the darkest night, not a single wisp of its essence escaped. She walked forward step by step, and with each step, a visible pressure was exerted on space. This was a domain created by solidified Spirit Matter. Even from a distance, Ham felt his scalp tingle, his blood seeming to freeze. He almost instantly understood the reason.
Ham’s eyes widened in disbelief. “…True King?”
Aseran immediately replied, the Dragon Princess laughing heartily, “You are correct. This is the supreme, the most powerful, the most sacred… True King Beyond!”
“!!!”
Everyone watching this live broadcast, whether from the Chang side or the Imperial Expeditionary Force, was utterly astonished. Given Aseran’s displayed Talent, achieving the True King Tier was within expectations—but not this soon! She was too young! It could have been five years later, or ten years later, but how could Aseran, at her age, have advanced to True King! Even her closest confidants, who had followed the Dragon Princess the longest, were unaware of this news. After a brief moment of shock, the entire Royal Guard couldn’t help but let out a roar that sounded like cheering… No, it was a joyous battle cry.
“Long live!”
“Long live our liege!”
“The invincible Highness! The ever-victorious Highness!”
Amidst the mountain-like cheers, Enesyin gazed at her sister’s retreating back. Her sister had once again shattered her perception of reality. She pursed her lips, no longer sure whether to be happy for her sister or to hope for her sister’s defeat. However, one thing was certain: the Platinum-haired Dragon Maiden would no longer be filled with inferiority and despair because of this.
In stark contrast to the jubilation of the Unified Empire, a deathly silence had fallen upon the command center of Chang.
“How can it be True King?! Damn it! We don’t have Saints to protect us!”
Yingxing bit her lower lip, staring intently at the beautiful and magnificent Knight Mech piloted by the Dragon Princess, which stood like a colossus born from ancient times. A single powerful expert of the Hero Tier could turn the tide of battle, let alone a True King. Once Aseran revealed her true strength, this defensive battle had already become patently ridiculous.
Yonglan couldn’t help but quip, “Oh my, does Aseran really have a sign-in system? Did she come to Chang to break through?!”
