CHAPTER 179: ACT 20 PAST KNIGHTS (PART 1)_2

It was hard for Brand to parry this strike, and he was already drenched in sweat. In the game, he often completed such moves, but with the system helping him by designing the action route, sword strike, and body positioning, and even correcting his movements. It wasn’t like this, where he had to control each move himself.

One small mistake, and he could lose his life.

Yet, he managed to do it.

He shook his arm, his right hand still numb. The opponent’s strength was immense; every clash of swords felt like being hit by a freight truck, and even after diverting the force, he could hear his muscles and bones groan.

From beneath his helmet, Albton made a muffled sound of surprise. He assessed this young man’s swordsmanship as merely average, yet his experience seemed extensive, quickly finding the right countermeasures, something that spoke of a veteran’s reflex.

He turned his horse and began accelerating once more.

But Brand had barely extricated himself from the cadence of Albton’s attacks and was not about to let him seize the initiative again. He immediately raised his right hand, aiming the silver ring at Albton, and shouted loudly, "Oss!"

"Magic activation spell?" The flames in the White Knight’s eyes flickered briefly as he turned his warhorse and placed his sword diagonally in front of him.

Just as Albton completed this action, a thunderous roar erupted and a fierce wind surged forward, carving a deep trench in the gravel ground toward the Undead Knight. The violent whirlwind struck his sword and split in two, instantly forming a neat ’Y’-shaped scar on the ground. Every skeleton soldier in its path was thrown into the air, disintegrating mid-flight and landing far off on the riverbank.

Then came the chaotic sound of bones clattering, like a sudden downpour of bony rain.

The ’White Knight’ Albton recovered his sword, and before the dust had settled, he once again took a stance—only to hear a crisp clang as Brand burst through the smoke, striking swords with him mid-air.

Flawless.

Brand wasn’t surprised. After all, this level of elite opponent was at least as strong as the Golden Magic Tree. In fact, he had only managed to defeat the Golden Magic Tree by relying on the Holy Sword Card, or the outcome would have been uncertain. He dared not entertain any illusions of luck against the ’White Knight’ Albton.

Challenging above his level required thorough preparation and full-on effort.

As he exchanged a sword strike with Albton and fell back, he sent a sword arc backhandedly. Albton recovered his sword, expressionless, and again struck out, a silver flame neutralizing Brand’s attack.

Albton grounded his sword a third time but didn’t immediately engage; instead, he quietly observed Brand from his horse. He looked at the young man as if recalling a story from long ago.

A story with the melody of Highland flutes, the swaying of Swallowtail Banners across the highlands of Belta.

"White Crow Swordsmanship." He spoke, his voice hoarse, as if from the depths of hell.

"Are you of the new generation of the Royal Family?" Albton asked coldly from horseback.

Brand hesitated. Did Albton have a past with the Kerkova Dynasty? But that didn’t seem right; there was no such mention in the game. Still, he decided it was better to deny it, lest the old and new grudges flare up and the opponent loses control. According to legend, even a Level 30 boss could momentarily rage up to Level 40 elite, which could mean instant death for them.

Thinking this, he quickly shook his head.

Yet, he didn’t expect Albton to lower his sword and coldly reply, "Since you’re not, then killing you won’t violate my oath." Brand almost spat out blood at those words. He regretted deeply, realizing that he should have just pretended to be a member of the new royal generation. This was truly self-inflicted punishment.

Of course, it was just a thought.

Brand knew pretending to be of royal lineage wasn’t easy; the Kerkova Royal Family had Fog Elf blood, an innately silver clan.

His bright red blood was a sign of a mortal.

On the other side, having asked the question, Albton regained his centaur-like state, holding his longsword as he urged his nightmare warhorse into acceleration again. Facing such a killing machine made Brand momentarily feel at a loss. He thought of a way to buy time, using White Crow Swordsmanship in Power Burst mode to deflect, but each strike cost 9 stamina. At Level 17, even at Level 27 or 37, he couldn’t sustain such consumption.

He was already feeling a bit drained.

As an elite of at least Level 30, Albton had about 200 points of life by Brand’s estimation. The Wind Bullet that had dealt 30 points of damage to him was nothing more than a superficial wound, merely stunning him. Brand was confident that a couple of Azure Light Piercings could kill him, provided he could land them.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath, hoping for Reto and the others to come to his aid.

But he saw the cavalry had just clashed with the skeleton soldiers. Perhaps due to the advantage he had created, they were faring well, but it seemed unlikely they could break away any time soon. He could only hope the self-defense team would hurry up—hurry up and catch up.

In fact, Frey, leading the self-defense team, had a similar thought.

But the future Valkyrie, looking at the stumbling citizens of Ridenburg, couldn’t help but frown. They were, after all, merely militia. Achieving this was already thanks to their high morale—she couldn’t ask for more.

Frey gazed ahead at the chaotic front line. Though she couldn’t see Brand, she knew the commander of such a large undead army must be formidable.

She was no longer the country girl from a few days ago; she had gained some insight. Unlike others who blindly trusted the young man, she knew Brand was likely in a fierce battle. She couldn’t help but look around and then focused on Char and Su beside her.

"Su, can you do me a favor?"

"Hmm?" The girl was slightly taken aback.

"Help me lead the self-defense corps."

"Why?"

"I need to help Brand," Frey replied, then turned her horse. "Char, come with me—"

"Miss Frey, I have no issue, but are you okay with this?" Char was stunned. Brand had instructed him to watch over the injured Frey, but his worries ultimately lay with the safety of the one he followed.

Frey looked at him and nodded resolutely.

(PS. Seeing the monthly tickets soar, I’m moved to tears.)(To be continued, for more Chapters, please visit www.qidian.com. Support the author, support legitimate reading!)