CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 48: BIRTH OF THE GREAT KNIGHT

After the Duke’s experiments, he was quite satisfied with the Breaking the Sky feature, as it provided him with an additional attack method.

The Sword Qi of Breaking the Sky not only had an intense slicing ability but also contained explosive energy bursts, making it a powerful attack method.

More importantly, it filled the gap in the Duke’s mid-to-long-range attack repertoire, as he previously could only resort to long-range attacks with a bow and arrow.

However, bows and arrows were easy for Knight-level experts to defend against, and rarely yielded good results.

Typically, by donning full-body armor, one could essentially ignore the threat of ordinary arrows.

But the Breaking the Sky Sword Qi was different; ordinary armor could not defend against it, and if hit, it would cause severe injuries.

Subsequently, the Duke conducted further testing and concluded that the effective attack range of the Sword Qi was thirty meters.

Once beyond this range, the Sword Qi would automatically explode, unable to be projected further.

In terms of Fighting Spirit consumption, if his body was brimming with Fighting Spirit, one Sword Qi would consume about one-eighth of it.

Under normal circumstances, the Duke’s body had enough Fighting Spirit to use eight Sword Qi attacks.

Despite being an official Knight, with ample Fighting Spirit inside him, he still could not use too much Fighting Spirit.

If he were at the Knight Attendant stage, he would likely struggle to unleash even one Sword Qi with all his might.

The Duke contemplated for a moment and began to control the amount of Fighting Spirit he attached to the sword, gradually reducing it.

He found that even with reduced Fighting Spirit, he could still use Sword Qi, though its power would be significantly lessened.

After a night had passed, the Duke’s Fighting Spirit was nearly exhausted, but he had gained sufficient understanding of using the Sword Qi.

...

The next day, a piece of news spread, causing a sensation throughout Maple Hill County.

Vivian had successfully been promoted to Great Knight, becoming the first Great Knight in Jade Province in fifty years and the only female Great Knight in Vera Kingdom in nearly a century.

Earl Hardy did not keep the news discreet or intentionally conceal it. Instead, he actively spread the news and also relayed it to the distant Vera Royal Capital.

With just the strength of a Great Knight, Vivian could be granted the title of Viscount, although she did not have any territory yet.

Vivian naturally didn’t care for the Viscount title, nor did Earl Hardy.

Their purpose was to inform the nobles around Maple Hill County that they had a Great Knight stationed, deterring any improper thoughts and intimidating the dishonest.

For those nobles, they too had Knight-level experts offering protection, so other nobles’ Knights posed no direct threat to them.

But a Great Knight was different; they were almost legendary figures, and Knights simply could not withstand a Great Knight.

If Vivian were to directly attack the dens of those nobles, she could easily remove their noble heads.

This is what most intimidates the nobles. Ordinary battles and conflicts were of no consequence to them; they wouldn’t face much threat.

But the presence of a Great Knight could directly threaten their lives, thereby altering their views and strategies concerning Maple Hill County.

As for the authenticity of the news, there was no need for these nobles to investigate.

For the church personnel of Vera Kingdom would be responsible for verification, and their results would undeniably be true.

The process of granting Vivian her Viscount title required many steps, and many steps involved examining her strength.

Habs Manor, training ground.

The Duke, clad in armor and wielding the Black Sword, fiercely clashed with Vivian, who held the Star Axe, constantly producing the metallic sound of weapon collisions.

This was after Vivian’s successful promotion; having completed a series of tasks, she came to find the Duke.

Her first words were, "Let’s have a duel!"

The Duke naturally had no reason to refuse and readily agreed, also wanting to see the strength of a Great Knight.

He discovered that Vivian’s strength and speed had greatly increased, estimating it should be around twelve points, with strength approaching thirteen points.

In terms of physical attributes, there wasn’t much surpassing the current Duke, but it was enough to surprise him.

The Duke linked his physical attribute enhancements to the Skill Tree, while Vivian strengthened her power solely through hard practice, an impressive feat.

"Try out that Sword Qi you mentioned!" Vivian said, her fighting spirit strong and imposing.

"It’s a bit dangerous," the Duke thought for a moment and said, considering the Sword Qi’s strong lethality, it could cause accidental injuries after being unleashed beyond his control.

"It’s fine, go ahead!" Vivian laughed.

The Duke said, "Then be careful."

He swung his sword, the Fighting Spirit attached to the blade instantly transforming into a red crescent flying outwards.

The Duke intentionally controlled the amount of Fighting Spirit, much less than usual, to avoid injuring Vivian.

Vivian’s eye flickered, and she immediately stretched out her hand, forming a large amount of white Fighting Spirit.

Under her control, the Fighting Spirit quickly converged into a white shield before her.

As the shield formed, the Sword Qi reached her, exploding upon contact with the shield, raising a cloud of dust.

When the dust cleared, the shield before Vivian was gone, with scattered sparks surrounding her, leaving her unharmed.

"Your Sword Qi is impressive!" Vivian praised.

She was genuinely admiring the Duke’s talent, amazed by his self-devised technique, which had surpassed the original content of the Dragon Spine Burning Wave Sword Technique.

"Is your Fighting Spirit Shield an ability acquired after becoming a Great Knight?" the Duke asked.

Vivian nodded, "Exactly, after becoming a Great Knight, I can expel Fighting Spirit, and there are many ways to apply it. I’m still exploring; the Fighting Spirit Shield was merely one way to use it."

The Duke pondered for a moment; his Sword Qi was also a form of expelled Fighting Spirit, although it required the longsword as an aid.

A Great Knight could directly maneuver their vast internal Fighting Spirit to the external body, attaching it or aggregating it outside.

"I found that by attaching Fighting Spirit externally, it can achieve a similar effect to your demonized items, just not as strong as the effect of magic," Vivian said.

As she spoke, she manipulated the Fighting Spirit within her to envelop her entire body, emitting a dull white glow, as if generating a mist.

This Fighting Spirit also provided some defensive effect against energy-type attacks, though not as potent as the defense of Magic Power.

The Duke realized that a Great Knight possessed a certain degree of magic resistance.

If faced with that Two-headed ogre, Vivian at the Great Knight level would most likely defeat it soundly.

Vivian only needed to use Fighting Spirit to cover her body, forming a protective shield, and after directly absorbing the initial Thunderball, she could quickly dispatch the Two-headed ogre.

Nevertheless, when confronting a foe with stronger casting ability, this method might not be effective.

A Great Knight relies on a massive internal reservoir of Fighting Spirit, projecting it externally to offer some defense against magic.

However, more magic spells aren’t always as direct as the ogre’s Thunderball, often being more unpredictable and hard to guard against.

For instance, Earl Hardy’s Red Glove is such that you won’t even know when he’s made his move.