Chapter 488 269: Little Bread (2)

But this storm of attacks, like waves from the Atlantic Ocean, was not only ferocious—it was intelligent. Every one of Baron's slashes struck the exact same spot. Different positions required different muscle groups to generate force, but Baron was targeting a single point: his wrist.

A Contract Knight's body was formidable, to be sure. The bones of a Black Iron Knight alone were as hard as steel. Yet Baron's slashes were so efficient they could have cut through steel itself.

After holding on for just a short while, the Red-armored Knight could already hear his wrist creaking like an old door hinge. It was his body's way of sending him a warning.

With every clash of their swords, an immense, irresistible force sent a violent tremor through his wrist. The shaking wasn't fatal, but its persistence was, like water dripping through stone or wind scouring a desert.

He was no match for this Attendant.

The Red-armored Knight was infuriated. The more conceited a person is, the less they can stomach being outmatched. The ability to endure it is called self-confidence, not conceit.

This was exactly why the Red-armored Knight had become so hysterical.

This continued until the Alchemy Longsword in his hand was wrenched and snapped by Baron's blade. Then, Baron raised his sword and brought it down on his neck.

'He wants to kill me.'

The moment that thought struck him, the Red-armored Knight dodged and screamed at Aile, "Are the men of the Lion Eye Knight Order just going to stand there and watch?"

Aile snapped to his senses. He couldn't let the Red-armored Knight be killed here. He shouted:

"I will bring you both before the Prole Court to face judgement!"

With that, he lunged forward alone.

He meant it, too. He'd already decided on the charges. Miss Freya's Attendant would be charged with assaulting a Templar Knight, and the Red-armored Knight with aggravated assault and attempted murder. 'Be an upright Knight'—those were the words he had spoken when he took his oath under Captain Anthony.

And Aile always honored his oath.

He didn't call for the other Lion's Eye Knights, likely figuring that no matter how skilled this Attendant was, he couldn't possibly fend off an attack from two Black Iron Contract Knights.

The Red-armored Knight grabbed a sword from a nearby Contract Knight and threw himself back into the fight against the Attendant.

But the moment he joined the fray, sword in hand, Aile felt a pang of regret.

'He felt as if he wasn't facing some unremarkable Attendant of a Law Enforcer, but a humanoid tyrant dragon. He had only parried a few blows, and he already felt like his arm was about to break?'

He was a Contract Knight who had formed a pact with the Silver Lion King! At the same Tier, leveraging the innate superiority of his contract, the average Law Enforcer—excluding specialists like Wizards—could at best fight him to a draw.

But Aile Lancelot was no average Knight. He had passed the many Trials of the Lion Eye Knight Order. He was a candidate to be its next Knight Commander. He had become a Knight Captain at a young age. He would never fight a peer to a standstill.

Take Zick, who had clashed with him at the auction house today. Aile was confident he could take him down within ten breaths in close combat. In fact, he probably wouldn't even need that many.

'But facing this Attendant, I feel like I'm not up against some Lancelot family servant, but an experienced Knight… or a Demon Hunter?'

The Combat Skills he had honed for years seemed like slow motion to his opponent. Every slash, thrust, slice, and feint—no matter the angle—was blocked with casual, strolling ease.

His own strength—three thousand pounds in a single-handed swing—felt as useless as a child's wooden stick against an elephant's kick. After just a few exchanges, Aile felt the same dreadful sensation as the Red-armored Knight: 'If this goes on, my wrist is going to break.'

And this was with both him and the Red-armored Knight flanking the man, their swords flowing like a ceaseless river in an attempt to disrupt his every move.

Their original strategy had been to wear the Attendant down with relentless attacks, to drain his stamina until he had no strength left to fight back.

But after hundreds of exchanges, the Attendant before them showed no signs of slowing down. On the contrary, his movements seemed to be growing smoother, his slashes more torrential.

Instead, it was Aile and the Red-armored Knight who were now experiencing what they had planned for their opponent: their own stamina was fading, and they found it difficult to muster new strength.

The surrounding Knights saw it too. Their gazes on Baron could no longer be described as merely surprised or shocked. It was as if they were looking at a monster.

Yes, a monster.

To them, only a monster could possess such inexhaustible stamina. A Black Iron Tier certainly wouldn't. As for a Bronze Tier… frankly, no one—not the Old Races, the Old Blood, or even the Law Enforcers themselves—believed any Bronze Tier Law Enforcer would ever deign to be an Attendant for an Old Blood Clan.

Especially not to serve Freyja Lancelot, who was infamous on the Inner Side for being a spoiled brat.

His longsword vibrated with every clash, to the point he could barely keep his grip. Aile was now almost certain: if he were fighting alone, without using his [Promise], he would stand no chance against this Attendant.

A question then surfaced in his mind. 'If Miss Freya's Attendant is this powerful, why have I never seen him before?'

Lost in thought, Aile saw the Attendant land a punch on the Red-armored Knight's chest plate. The knight let out a sudden grunt of pain, his sword clattering to the floor. He was sent flying backward as if hit by a freight train, only stopping when another Knight caught him. In the light, a deep, clear dent was visible on his breastplate.

Watching this, the onlookers felt a cold dread crawl up from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. They couldn't imagine what would have happened if that punch had landed on someone's skull.

A Contract Knight's armor was forged from a special Alchemy Metal, said to be strong enough to withstand the claws of a Dragon Descendant. Yet a single punch from this Attendant had left a massive dent in it. Did that mean his fist was, in some ways, even more terrifying than a Dragon Descendant's claws?

Aile stared at the dent in the Red-armored Knight's breastplate, a cold sweat slowly trickling down his forehead.

His opponent's combat instincts were terrifying. He had seized upon that single moment of Aile's distraction.

In that instant, his opponent had used his blade to knock Aile's sword aside, then suddenly spun and punched the Red-armored Knight, who was caught completely off guard as he was drawing back his own weapon.

The Red-armored Knight felt the dent in his chest, his expression a mixture of shock and lingering fear. He yelled at the still-dazed Aile:

"What are you waiting for, Knight Commander Aile! This guy almost killed a Templar Knight right in front of you!"

Aile snapped out of it and exhaled heavily. A new look of determination, even fanaticism, entered his eyes. Capturing this Attendant was no longer his primary goal. He now saw him as a true opponent.

He locked blades with Baron one last time, then leaped back and came to a stop. He spoke to his opponent:

"I'm going to use my [Promise] now. This may be unfair to you, so feel free to use your Authority against me… Afterward, in court, I swear I will not accuse you of deliberately attacking a Law Enforcer."

Baron watched Aile silently. More accurately, he was looking past Aile, at the window that Hamilton's attendant had smashed open.

There were still many Griffins and Lion's Eye Knights guarding the main gate. The window would save him a lot of trouble.

During the chaotic fight, he had unconsciously maneuvered the battle lines to this very spot. In other words, this was Baron's escape route.

Honestly, it had been tiring for Baron to fight and multitask, using his offensive to subtly guide their movements toward the window.

But he had no choice. Baron had to escape. It wasn't just because of the Dragon Eater Association's plot to frame him; there were other reasons, ones that came from deep within himself.

The stirring, bloodthirsty craving made him subconsciously view every guest here as a little snack, to be drained of their blood and devoured, one after another.