"Sir, that kind of joke isn't funny."

A Knight standing in front said in a deep voice.

"Is that so? Perhaps it's because I rarely joke. However, that last sentence… wasn't entirely a joke."

Liens instantly appeared in front of the Knight and whispered to him.

Then, in a flash, a ray of light had pierced through his armor and chest—it was a longsword, and at this moment, the longsword glowed with a rich blue light.

Seeing their companion instantly pierced through the heart, the pupils of the other three constricted again.

But they reacted immediately.

The other two Knights instantly drew their swords and swung at Liens from two directions.

Meanwhile, the Mage, while buffing his companions, also launched fireworks-like magic into the sky, then immediately used magic to support his companions in front.

The entire sequence of actions was seamless, as if they had a plan in mind, and both their coordination and the Mage's magical ability were exceptionally refined.

If they had faced ordinary opponents, they would have quickly been cut down. Unfortunately, they encountered an existence that was difficult for them to overcome.

Liens pulled out the longsword that had pierced the heart, instantly evading the two Knights' slashes with imperceptible speed, then, as if strolling, he leisurely and effortlessly avoided various incoming magic spells, appearing both fast and slow.

Stepping, instantly moving.

An arc radiating blue light appeared.

A head rolled to the ground, and a Knight slowly lost consciousness.

Then, the next instant, Liens appeared before the Mage.

A direct thrust.

Please read this chapter on its original platform—*.

A simple yet extremely swift sword strike, as if entering an uninhabited land, piercing through the layers of shields the Mage had cast upon himself, aiming straight for the throat.

Without surprise, the red sword tip emerged from the back of the neck, having passed through the barrier of flesh and blood.

The Mage did not react, nor did his shields.

At this moment, those shields were still diligently "holding their ground" in their duty, but this duty would soon be lost.

The longsword moved, and the bewildered head, relying on the connection that hadn't completely severed, hung from the body, slowly tilting forward.

"Clang"

Liens calmly held his sword horizontally, blocking the last Knight's attack, then flashed to his side and kicked him.

"Bang"

A heavy and powerful kick sent the Knight directly towards a stone wall, where he made a crater before falling to the ground.

Before he could get up, Liens was in front of him again, stepping heavily on him.

"Bang!"

"Pfft!"

A pit instantly appeared in the stone slab ground where the Knight had fallen, and he was so shaken by the hidden force that penetrated his armor that he vomited blood.

"Adonis, it's been over half a year, are you still only at this level?"

"How disappointing… I'm starting to doubt if you're the fated protagonist I imagined."

"Are you the type of protagonist who has a happy early stage, suffers abuse in the middle, and then explodes in the late stage, or are you some important villain?"

Liens looked at Adonis beneath his foot with a slightly puzzled expression.

Given his luck, how could he have only made a slight improvement after more than half a year, and not even comprehended a Sword Style… too weak.

He suspected that this guy hadn't reached his period of ascendancy yet. Could there be some fortuitous encounter in Kara City?

"Oh, your father-in-law is here to save you again… Hello, old man… We meet again."

Liens turned his head and smiled as he greeted a figure radiating a powerful aura.

Count Bard looked at Adonis, who was trampled under Liens's foot, then at the three corpses on the ground, and his expression grew even darker.

At the same time, the surrounding fire elements began to become "restless," constantly clashing with other elemental light particles.

This seemed to foreshadow Count Bard's impending rage.

"My friend, do you not think your actions have been a bit excessive, or do you have some unresolved grudge with our Glenbagen Family?"

Count Bard said in a deep voice.

Before he finished speaking, the surrounding fire elements transformed into a fire lion, letting out a deafening "roar" at Liens.

However, this "roar" was not a real roar.

No sound appeared in reality, but Liens's spirit truly felt that awe-inspiring "sound."

Hearing this sound, the expression on Liens's face became a few shades more serious.

This is a Spirit Phase, where 'spirit' refers to spirituality and consciousness, and 'phase' refers to the illusory image manifested externally.

The Spirit Phase represents the Great Knight's spiritual core and is also the elemental domain formed by their spiritual will permeating the surrounding elements.

It is also for this reason that Great Knights have another title—Elemental Lord.

Once both the "Elemental Body" and "Elemental Resonance" are achieved, a Knight will quickly transform into an Elemental Lord capable of controlling an element.

Just as a Knight in reality, possessing his own territory, becomes a lord.

Although it's also about controlling external elements, similar to the effects brought by the divinity within a Priest, it's actually like the difference between a county magistrate and a local official.

Elements infected by the Great Knight's spiritual will are almost equivalent to the elements within his body.

If a Priest wants to control them, it depends on whose spiritual will is stronger. Generally speaking, a first-tier Priest would find it difficult to contend with a Great Knight in this regard.

"If it were an ordinary person asking this, I wouldn't bother to respond."

"But I personally respect the old and cherish the young, so I'll say a few words, which can also serve as an opening for the upcoming battle."

"I used to be a dark guard for your Glenbagen Family… See, this longsword was exchanged from the storeroom, and I'm still using it now."

Liens smiled and swung the longsword in his hand.

"So, my feelings towards you are somewhat complicated."

"On one hand, I stayed at your family's Slave Exchange and Training Camp, enduring many near-death tortures—this is resentment."

"On the other hand, it was also you who provided me with food and warmth when I was about to starve to death, and taught me the Sword Style of combat—this is kindness."

"But I don't like being livestock that's fed when convenient and slaughtered when needed, so I broke the chains that bound me and escaped."

"By the way, more than half a year ago, I also participated in the family's conscription. My performance was quite good; perhaps Mr. Cliff would remember me."

"However, none of this affects my current desire to destroy the Glenbagen Family, so Count, please don't hold back later."

"Otherwise, the Glenbagen Family's fate won't be good."

Liens continued to smile.

"Half a year ago… truly terrifying talent."

"I never expected that the dark guards I founded would produce someone like you. Is this my accomplishment, or my negligence?"

Count Bard didn't care about Liens's threat; he just sighed with emotion after hearing Liens's words.

"Bang!"

A pit appeared where Count Bard had been standing, and in an instant, he had already appeared in front of Liens.

Liens quickly held his sword horizontally in front of him, and at the same time, the Wind Iron Wall condensed before him.

"Clang!"

The longsword glowing with blue light intersected with the longsword burning with fierce flames.

A strong wind howled on both sides of Liens, and the raging lion formed by flames swung its sharp claws, heavily striking the iron wall formed by the blue light.

Soon, the immense force on the longsword exceeded the Wind Iron Wall's tolerance limit.

Liens was pushed back several meters, retreating continuously until he hit a building, which stopped him.

"Such powerful strength, such incredible speed… It truly lives up to its reputation as a fire-type, specializing in explosive power."

Liens looked at his still slightly trembling hands, his gaze fixed on the old man several meters away, and muttered softly.

After repelling Liens, the old man chose not to pursue, but instead pulled up Adonis from the ground and said:

"Leave here, notify others not to approach this area for now, and also remind others to be wary of those rebels to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation."

Although the words were directed at Adonis, the old man's gaze never left Liens.

He also felt a strong threat from Liens, as well as a familiar yet strange feeling.

It was familiar because he had once felt it from someone else, and strange because he had pursued it for most of his life but had never been able to cross that threshold.

"Understood."

Adonis said no more, spitting out the clotted blood from his mouth, and nodded seriously in response.

After speaking, he quickly left, but before he did, he glanced at the old man and Liens. From them, Adonis seemed to feel the intertwining of wind and fire.