Chapter 142: Forging a Legion (5)

It was impossible to evade this attack.

Although the Minotaur still seemed high in the sky, the speed of its descent was ridiculous, completely defying logic.

As it approached, the immense pressure generated by its fall began to spread across the training grounds, like an invisible wall crushing everything in its path.

The marble floor trembled beneath their feet, and the old cracks left by the battle began to widen. Shards of marble went flying, and fierce winds swept through the area, violently whipping weapons and clothes around under the force of the descending air.

The soldiers and Awakened in the front rows retreated instinctively.

Some were forced to plant their feet with all their might just to avoid falling, while others raised their arms to shield their faces from the violent winds sweeping the courtyard.

Anxiety spread among the knights, but it was a different story for the Ascendants.

Each of them enveloped their body in mana, using their strength to resist the massive pressure generated by the Minotaur’s descent. Despite the gale-force winds, they remained firmly in place.

However, their reactions were different.

In the corner where the four stood, Vexia raised her arm to shield her face as a green glow of mana surrounded her body. Despite the force of the wind, her wide, serpentine smile remained clearly visible.

Beside her, Jax dug his feet into the ground and braced himself against the pressure, staring at the Minotaur with excitement.

As for Zane, his smile widened in amusement as he covered his face with his arm. Mana covered his body, yet he did not take a single step back.

In contrast, Ren remained calm as usual. He simply narrowed his eyes in cold focus, watching the scene in silence while keeping mana wrapped around his body, ignoring the winds around him.

Yet, amid all this, no one stood directly in the path of the attack except Orren.

Even the courtyard floor seemed to groan under the force of the approaching attack, while the cracks continued to spread around his feet as the pressure mounted.

Orren stood at the center of the impact.

The descending pressure pinned his body in place as if he were a nail driven into the ground. He tried to move his foot backward to absorb the shock or prepare to maneuver, but his leg did not respond.

His body was no longer able to resist the force plummeting towards him from the sky.

He raised his eyes toward the Minotaur hurtling toward him.

The black and green aura swallowed his field of vision, and the glowing markings etched onto the beast’s body rapidly closed the distance.

At that moment, Orren’s blue eyes suddenly flared with a brilliant light, illuminating his features with a terrifying coldness.

Mana erupted from his body all at once, like a massive dam collapsing in an instant.

His energy didn’t just leak out; it stormed across the courtyard around him, sweeping through the descending winds and defying the overwhelming pressure coming from the sky.

The dense, blazing blue energy flowed into his greatsword, coiling around its blade in an ascending vortex.

In a fraction of a second that energy materialized into a gigantic, glowing blue blade that extended dozens of feet into the air. It looked like a sword forged to cleave mountains, completely swallowing the original blade at its core.

With a single motion, Orren swung the colossal blue sword upward, meeting the falling meteor head-on with overwhelming strength and years of battle experience.

BOOOOOOM!

A massive explosion drowned out every sound in the training grounds.

The black and green energy of the meteor collided with the colossal blue sword at a single point above Orren’s head.

The ground completely shattered beneath Orren’s feet, and marble shards shot out in all directions as a violent shockwave swept through the courtyard, forcing hundreds of soldiers and knights to crouch and shield their faces.

But the clash lasted for only a moment.

The colossal blade trembled for a second, then its energy erupted upward with tremendous force.

And suddenly, the Minotaur’s descent stopped.

Its massive body froze in mid-air as the giant blue blade shuddered under the pressure for a brief moment. Then its energy exploded.

The blade surged upward with immense violence, and the Minotaur’s body was flipped backward along with it.

The beast opened its mouth in an angry roar before being blasted backward.

The Minotaur’s body launched across the courtyard like a stray artillery shell, tearing through the air at an insane speed before violently crashing into the walls of the massive training grounds building on the opposite side.

BOOOOOOM!

Another violent explosion echoed as the beast’s body crashed through the thick stone wall, leaving behind a massive hole as the upper sections collapsed beneath a dense cloud of dust and debris.

And then... silence fell over the entire courtyard.

No one dared to move.

Dust continued to fall slowly from the sky, while all eyes remained fixed on the ruined wall.

Finally, one of the squad captains whispered, his voice faint but clearly audible across the training ground, "Did... did that monster just force Orren to use mana?"

The shock that gripped the crowd wasn’t due to Orren’s power or his ability to repel a meteor-like attack as if swatting away a fly. Everyone here knew how powerful Orren was as an Ascendant-rank fighter.

What truly shocked them was that Orren had just broken the rule of the duel.

The veteran knight, who had fought the entire duel using only his physical strength, was finally forced to use mana to counter an attack from the summon of a young man still at the Awakened rank.

On the other side of the courtyard, Malrik stood calmly.

He looked toward the shattered wall that had swallowed Biggie.

Seeing the strongest undead soul he possessed...after Lilith, of course, get crushed and blasted away in a single strike did not surprise him.

Instead, the sharpness in his expression faded, and a small smile appeared on his lips.

In the center of the courtyard, Orren was still standing where he was.

The blue aura faded from around his sword, and the blade returned to its normal size, but Orren remained frozen, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

He stared into the empty space before him. His body had moved purely on instinct.

In the moment of danger, his instincts had reacted, unleashing mana without a second thought, and without him even realizing that he had just violated the terms of the duel.

Malrik broke the silence.

He lowered his steel spear and rested it on his shoulder before walking toward Orren with steady steps across the marble shards.

Malrik stopped directly in front of him.

He looked at the massive knight who was still gripping his sword tightly and said in a calm voice "It was a good duel."

His words broke the silence and Orren finally snapped out of his daze.

He blinked slowly, the dazed look fading from his eyes as he raised his head and met Malrik’s gaze.

He found no mockery or arrogance in the young man’s eyes, only the absolute calm of a man who knew the battle had been decided.

Orren looked at the greatsword in his hand, the sword he had been forced to coat in mana to save his life, then raised his eyes to Malrik once more.

Then, in a sudden movement that made hundreds of hearts in the training grounds pound...Orren did not return his sword to its sheath.

Instead, he drove the blade of his greatsword into the shattered marble floor before him.

Then... before everyone in the training grounds, the massive knight lowered his colossal body onto one knee.

He placed his broad right hand over his heart and bowed his head in a gesture of deep respect that no one had ever seen from him before.

"You forced me to break my own rule to save my life..." Orren said in a rough voice that echoed through the silent training grounds.

He raised his blue eyes toward Malrik, and there was nothing in them but certainty and absolute loyalty.

"Therefore, according to the terms of our duel... this sword is no longer mine."

Orren took a deep breath, then spoke in a steady, heavy voice that made his words reach everyone in the courtyard:

"From this moment on, I shall be your sword that tears through your enemies, and your shield that protects you. My life is now yours, and my blood shall be shed for your banner... my lord."

***

Author’s Note

We’ve reached 1 million views, all thanks to your amazing support!

I really enjoyed writing this Chapter, though I’m frustrated that I still haven’t received last month’s earnings, and the support team keeps blaming me instead of helping.

Still, your support keeps me going. Without my amazing readers, I probably would’ve stopped a long time ago.

Thank you all for reading and supporting me. I truly appreciate every one of you.

Next month, I’ll give my all to a new Privilege so I can unlock 10 extra Chapters for you!

Here’s to the next million! ❤️