Chapter 490 - 270: Fierce Battle (2)

A flash of disappointment crossed Aile’s eyes. He’d been looking forward to seeing how many seconds the man’s will could withstand the pressure of his Lion’s Eye. ’Now that I think about it,’ he mused, ’using the Lion’s Eye in a fight between equals is just an unbeatable move.’

It made sense. Not long ago, at the ruins of the Dragon Family’s estate, his Lion’s Eye had stunned even that dishonorable Dragon Knight, Baron Constantin, for several moments. And Constantin had not only launched a sneak attack, but he also possessed the Golden Eye of the Pure-blood Dragon Race.

And that was when Constantin was still only at the Bronze Tier.

That was why Aile was so confident. ’If I were the same tier as Baron Constantin, the so-called Dragon Knight might not even be a match for me.’

’A pity...’ Aile sighed, tightening his grip on his longsword. ’My tier is still too low right now. Otherwise, I could have been of some use in the captain’s fight against Baron Constantin...’

He still remembered the last thing he saw before the Silver Lion King summoned him: his captain kicking him out of the range of Baron Constantin’s Dragon Flame. ’I wonder how the captain is doing... The support team must have arrived by now.’

’In comparison, this Attendant before me is merely Black Iron. Even though he hasn’t used his Promise yet, no Promise could possibly suppress the Lion’s Eye...’

’No, "suppress" isn’t the right word. It’s impossible. After all, my Lion’s Eye even worked on Baron Constantin, a Dragon Knight with the Golden Eye. No matter how skilled or extraordinary this Attendant is, his contract’s tier can’t possibly be higher than that of a Dragon Knight contracted with a Pure-blood Ancient Dragon.’

A Pure-blood Ancient Dragon was an existence equivalent to the Golden Tier. Even the Silver Lion King had only just approached the Golden Tier, not quite reached it. Yet Constantin was still stunned by Aile’s Lion’s Eye.

Aile sighed. ’It feels a bit like an unfair win,’ he thought. ’But it can’t be helped. A Promise is a fundamental part of a Contract Knight’s strength.’

’A Contract Knight not using their Promise would be like a Wizard not using Magic, a Faith Knight not using their Virtue, a Silver Demon Hunter not using their Command Spell, or a Westminster Commissioner not being greedy...’

He then let out a great shout and lunged at Baron. He moved like a lion pouncing on its prey, swinging his sword at the dazed man. However, he turned the blade, striking with the flat instead of the edge.

Aile had no intention of killing him. Though his contract with the Pure Silver Lion made him appear extraordinarily proud—bordering on arrogant—to outsiders, he was, at his core, a Lion-eyed Knight who possessed a chivalrous spirit.

He had already made up his mind. After this Attendant, he would also arrest the Red-armored Knight. He even had the charges ready: attempted murder and malicious assault. Once that was done, he would just wait for Vice Captain Jill to arrive for the handover.

’After the handover, I’ll lead the Lion Eye Knights straight to the ruins of the Dragon Family estate to provide rein—’

His train of thought shattered.

A hand grabbed the blade of his sword. The sharp edge sliced open the man’s palm, and blood gushed out, but his body didn’t waver in the slightest. He held Aile’s sword in a death grip. No matter how piercing the cold light of Spiritual Power emanating from the blade, no matter how brightly the Alchemy Runes upon it glowed, the man remained perfectly still.

He stood like an immovable rock.

The instant the man’s grip tightened on his longsword, Aile looked up. He saw his own amber Lion’s Eye reflected in the Attendant’s deep black pupils. For a moment, he was stunned. So was every single spectator.

Aile stared blankly and uttered a single word. "Impossible."

The Red-armored Knight, who had been supported by a group of other knights, abruptly shot to his feet. His eyes were wide as he stared at Baron.

The other knights and guests followed his gaze, turning to stare at the Attendant who was meeting the Lion’s Eye head-on. They stared so intently they forgot to breathe.

Aile’s mind reeled. He instinctively tried to pull his sword back, but it was as if it were embedded in the man’s palm, refusing to budge.

’My amber Lion’s Eye is blazing even more brilliantly, like a citrine crystal struck by sunlight. Anyone who looks into my eyes now should have fallen into a stupor, unable to even muster the thought or energy to channel their Spiritual Power.’

’As for the weak-willed, they’re probably on the floor, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. Anyone with a heart condition would just drop dead.’

But as Aile’s Lion’s Eye—an ability he believed could make even a Dragon Knight waver—met the Attendant’s gaze, he was shocked to find that the man showed no reaction at all, aside from a slight frown.

For a moment, it made Aile question his entire existence. It was as if he hadn’t just used Promise: Lion’s Eye, but had merely thrown a flirtatious wink at the Attendant.

But when he caught sight of some less resilient guests already foaming at the mouth and convulsing, and some knights not even daring to meet his gaze, he became certain that there was nothing wrong with his Lion’s Eye. If there was a problem, it had to be with Miss Freya’s Attendant.

He echoed the Red-armored Knight’s words. "Who in the world are you? Why would the Lancelot Family have an Attendant like you... You’re no ordinary Attendant!"

With that, he abruptly twisted the blade, trying to wrench the sword free while the man was distracted... but it wouldn’t budge.

’As a Silver Lion Knight, I pride myself on my superhuman physical strength. According to Outer Side instruments, my one-handed strength—without any enhancement from Spiritual Power—is three thousand pounds. That’s equivalent to the combined bite force of ten adult male lions, or one and a half times the body weight of an adult African elephant. I could kill Tyson with a single casual punch, and no concrete structure could withstand three of my blows.’

’Yet now, with my body enhanced by both my Spiritual Power and my Promise, I can’t even pull my own sword from the grasp of this unremarkable Attendant?’

’I already knew from our fight earlier that he was stronger than me, but the gap shouldn’t be this massive, should it?’

For the second time, Aile began to question his entire existence.

Then, he was knocked backward.

It wasn’t a punch or a kick. Seizing the moment Aile was stunned, the man simply stepped forward and slammed a shoulder into his chest. In that instant, Aile knew what it felt like for a normal person to be hit by a semi-truck.

With a muffled grunt, he lost his grip on the hilt and was sent flying backward.

Just then, Aile saw the Red-armored Knight take another sword from a nearby knight. He was about to launch a sneak attack on Baron from behind.

Aile instinctively tried to shout a warning, but Baron didn’t even turn his head. He simply thrust the sword he held diagonally into the approaching Red-armored Knight’s gut. With a casual push on the hilt, the Red-armored Knight collapsed.

But the Red-armored Knight was still struggling, even managing a sneer. "You attacked a Knight of the Griffin Knight Order. Just you wait..."

His laughter died in his throat, because Baron had planted another sword in his head.

The Red-armored Knight’s eyes bulged, his face a mask of horror. He hadn’t expected this at all. After a final convulsion, he said no more.

He was probably dead.

The entire hall fell silent, the only sound the DRIP... DRIP... of blood.

Aile snapped back to his senses. "To assassinate a Griffin Knight..."

"A death sentence?" the Attendant finally spoke. His gaze swept impassively over the advancing knights, and the coldness in his eyes sent a shiver down the spine of everyone he looked at.

To them, the Attendant’s gaze wasn’t that of one Old Race looking upon another. It was the look of a Hunter eyeing its prey.

Baron glanced at the nearby window, now blocked by the knights, and said calmly,

"You all saw it. I meant no harm. This knight tried to ambush me, and I was merely acting in self-defense."

He sighed. "I’m just an ordinary Attendant. Why must you all make things so difficult for me?"

He spoke as he walked forward. Faced with his advance, the knights instinctively parted before him, like snow melting away from a flame.

The bizarre scene looked as if this one, unremarkable Attendant had single-handedly surrounded the elites of the Griffin Knight Order and the Lion Eye Knight Order.

The guests all stared, dumbfounded, their minds unable to process what they were seeing.