CHAPTER 1612: NEW KNIGHT (2)

"I’m betting that the new Knight would fail miserably."

An ordinary-looking soldier leaned to his friend and whispered wittily.

He was one of the soldiers who made up the iron walls, standing right behind Minx.

Hearing this, his friend sneered.

"Fail miserably? I bet he’d hurt his hand from even trying to punch the shield on his first strike."

"How much you betting?"

"100 spirit coins."

"Deal. So, I win if the new knight didn’t groan from the first punch."

"Yeah. Sir Gallick’s Lion Echo also boosted that guy’s Soul Artifact. Not to mention—his Soul Artifact seemed to be a defense-type—or a support-type, a good grade too. I am confident the new knight would regret ever punching that shield."

"If you say so."

The ordinary-looking soldier chuckled.

He also somewhat agreed with his friend, as despite the difference in rank, Rex overestimated himself.

Had it only been Minx alone, then he’d easily won.

But with Gallick’s aid is pushing it.

"Let me get in the bet," Another soldier chimed. "I think the new knight will succeed."

"Hah! Easy money!" The ordinary-looking soldier scoffed. "Agreed. Hell, if you won, I’ll give you all of my spirit coins right now!"

"Deal. Don’t go back on your words, later."

Knowing how strong Gallick’s Lion Echo was, most of the soldiers present thought Rex was stupid for proposing this kind of arrangement. None of them could even imagine Rex pushing Minx with the Lion Echo’s power in the way—it was simply fantasy.

CLANG!

It was supposed to be a simple, raw punch.

No power was involved.

At most, the soldiers expected a deafening clang—a thunderous clash of steel and flesh that would echo through the plaza like a bomb. Some even entertained the wild notion that Minx might be hurled back, shield and all, sent flying by the sheer force of Rex’s punch.

But what happened defied even those expectations.

As soon as Rex’s fist collided with the shield, the deafening clang happened.

And then a ripple.

A strange, unnatural wave shimmered across the hard surface of the shield like waves in the ocean.

Even the golden sheen of life energy coating Minx’s shield, bolstered by Gallick’s Lion Echo, glowed, then shattered. A shockwave burst outward, a violent rush that stubbornly presses onward, like a surge unleashed from the point of impact.

It was so powerful that Minx’ Soul Artifact and the energy around the shield were blasted.

All of the energy coating the shield was pushed backward by the force of the punch.

So hard that it went beyond him, crashing into the iron walls.

Both the ordinary-looking soldier and his friend were at the center of the rush, and they were thrown off their feet—since they weren’t ready. Not expecting the impact to be this powerful. They hit the ground hard, rolling several meters before finally skidding to a stop in a heap of limbs and grunts.

Minx, at the heart of it, took the full brunt of the blow.

He clenched his teeth and stood his ground, but the pain dug deep.

He could feel it crawl through his forearms, burrowing into the marrow of his bones.

One hiss escaped him as his arms and the entire left side of his body went numb, trembling under the aftershock, but he held on. He endured and stood his ground. Maybe due to the Lion Echo or perhaps his inner strength, but he didn’t feel like giving up.

As the rippling blast receded and the dust settled, silence fell.

All eyes turned back to the center.

Minx still stood strong, breath heavy, shield trembling, but he managed to endure the first strike.

But the soldiers’ eyes were fixated on the shield.

It was no longer pristine and smooth.

A deep inward curve now marred its center—more than a dent, but not enough to destroy it.

Even his Soul Artifact was almost shattered, and the Lion Echo’s power waned.

"Heurghk!"

Blood drizzled down his lips as the impact seemed to affect him more internally.

On the side, Gallick frowned.

’He’s not giving it his all. He did not use everything he had in that punch.’ His eyes narrowed, clearly seeing that Rex wasn’t using his full strength, showing mercy at the last second.’ He lessened the drive an inch away from impact. What exactly is he doing?’

Rex turned to Gallick and straightened his posture with a neutral smile on his face.

"Seems like I’m going to be saved by your generosity,"

"Hmm?"

Bam!!

Not even giving any time for Gallick, the soldiers, or Minx to react, Rex made his second punch that cracked and shattered the shield and also forced Minx to take a step back. It happened so quickly. None of them was ready for the second punch.

But Rex didn’t fret about it and placed his fist on his chest, a neutral salute.

"I won." He mumbled.

Gallick frowned.

Not because he was angry, but because he was trying to grasp what Rex was doing.

It wasn’t planned.

One of his men messed with Rex, and he decided to test the new Knight personally since the Empress seemed to favor him more than the other knight. Rex didn’t know that. In his view, Gallick tried to mess with him deliberately by sending Minx.

In hindsight, he should’ve retaliated by showing that he wasn’t a pushover.

Moreover, this was also a good opportunity to earn the respect of the soldiers around him.

But instead of doing that, he showed restraint, modesty, and composure.

Gallick couldn’t read through him.

Under the onlookers’ gaze, Rex approached and stood directly in front of him.

An invisible power spread from Rex’s body, creating a barrier that encompassed the two of them.

Gallick looked around, noting that the soldiers couldn’t sense what he sensed.

’It’s invisible and very light. What is this?’ Gallick’s eyes settled on Rex warily, on guard to whatever Rex might pull off right now as payback. But then, he came to realize what this power was. ’Is it Minor Law? Does he control a Minor Law? No, that can’t be... He’s only at the Master Immortal Spirit rank. It’s not possible.’

Seeing the composed curl on Rex’s lips, it was clear that this was really a Minor Law.

Somehow, he awakened a Minor Law, and that shocked Gallick to his core.

’Is his Soul Artifact that strong? To unlock a Minor Law at his level of power...’ His pupils trembled. It was such a shock to find out about this. He underestimated Rex, and he realized that now. "How old even is he?’

Only one out of a million or even more have unlocked a Minor Law in their entire life.

And the further down the rank, the rarer it was.

’In fact, I’ve never even heard anyone unlocking a Minor Law at his rank.’ Gallick swallowed hard.

He was too hasty; he let his emotions get the better of him.

Since Princess Davina chose him then he must be someone extraordinary.

Gallick should’ve known that.

And now he has a peek at Rex’s power.

Fortunately, Rex wasn’t the unreasonable kind, or else it’d get ugly.

"I’m not your enemy," Rex stated while staring straight into Gallick in the eyes.

Gallick looked around once again and realized Rex’s voice could only be heard by him.

None of the soldiers seemed to show any reaction other than silence and shock at what they saw.

"Don’t worry, it’s my Minor Law. Nobody can listen to us right now," Rex pointed to the space around him, which in his eyes, was already encompassed by the Minor Law—providing a soundproof space in a public space like this. "I don’t intend to be your enemy, Sir Gallick. On the contrary, I want us to work together in this mission."

Hearing this made Gallick paused.

Only now did he realize what Rex was doing by pulling back earlier.

Rex could easily push Minx back with one strike if he wanted to; the Minor Law was proof of that.

But he didn’t.

He was saving Gallick’s face by only pushing Minx on the second strike, the second strike that Gallick gave to him generously. It provided them a way out without any side being in the loss, effectively and smoothly avoiding any complications.

Rex was saved from the situation, and Gallick could pull back without losing face.

"I don’t expect you to accept me right now—especially since you might find me unworthy to be doing this mission with the veteran Knights," Rex added, keeping tabs on the changes on Gallick’s face. "But I’m asking for a chance to prove myself. I’m sure you’ll find it better for us to be on the same page."

Gallick stared into Rex’s eyes and felt his genuineness.

Unlike the arrogant and bratty knight that he expected, Rex seemed to be the polar opposite of that.

"I want you to use me, Sir Gallick, and I’ll show you that I’m a better ally," Rex said firmly.

Hearing this, Gallick smiled inwardly.

Even though there was a light threat in those words, he didn’t mind.

’A healthy confidence is needed. At least he’s aware of his situation.’ Gallick eventually nodded.

His hostility dissipated, replaced with neutral acknowledgement.

Rex reeled inside as he glanced at the crowd of soldiers.

Coming off too strong or too weak will be going against me—the traitor will hide. But harmony will certainly work. If I can cultivate real chemistry within the legions by cooperating with the Knights and actively supporting their efforts, the traitor will see me as a threat—one worth eliminating.

Until the rat comes out, I’ll keep supporting and hiding my strength.

Rex blinked and focused on Gallick again.

"Are you willing to give me a chance? If you do, shake my hand."

He reached out his hand for a handshake.

Gallick looked down and raised an eyebrow, unfamiliar with the gesture.

"It’s a custom from back home. A sign of trust."

"In that case, it was an honor to make your acquaintance, Sir Rex."

Since Rex had gone to such lengths to appease the situation, Gallick accepted this cooperation.

Rex and Gallick shook hands in front of everyone.

Once they came to an agreement, the Minow Law of Misdirection crumbled, allowing the noises from the soldiers to come back again. Gallick’s voice instantly thundered as he swept his eyes across all the gathered soldiers, "Why are you bastards still looking? Get in formation! Move!"

Almost instantly, the soldiers scattered like kids being scolded by their parents to get ready.

Some even bumped into each other in the process.

Rex walked over to Minx, who was kneeling in pain, and helped him stand back up.

"Go tend your wounds. I made sure to hold back."

"Y-Yes, Sir."

Minx ran to a tent on the side, but stopped a couple of steps away and turned toward Rex again.

"I apologize for my rude behaviour, Sir Rex. I’ll accept any punishment."

"Let’s talk about that later. For now, focus on the mission."

Hearing this, Minx nodded and continued ahead.

"You’re amazing, Sir!"

Ethan looked at Rex with starry eyes, amazed to watch him turn the unfavorable situation with multiple bad results into something productive. Once again, he underestimated Rex. Seems like he could really behave as the situation demanded.

It made him think that Rex was secretly a leader in some faraway place.

"I did tell you that I’m going to take this seriously if you answered."

"A man of his word. I respect you more and more, Sir Rex!"

Rex waved his hand and headed to his legion.

On the other side, two soldiers were still sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

It was the ordinary-looking soldier with his friend.

"Hey, do you need help?"

Looking up, the ordinary-looking soldier saw a hand reaching out to him,

Not thinking about it much, he accepted it.

"Ah, thank you. I was caught off guard earlier and wasn’t ready."

Just as he stood up and looked at the man who helped, his face froze.

The man placed a hand on his shoulder while maintaining a polite smile that seemed chilling.

"Pay up. You owe me money."

"Haha... Right..."