Chapter 201 - 195: Additional Match: Duel Between Domain Knights

The cheers of the Allied Army died abruptly. Countless furious gazes shot toward the insolent Prince.

Raylo’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He watched Prince Karachi’s brazen confidence, and alarm bells began to ring quietly in his mind.

’Something isn’t right.’

"What exactly are you planning?"

Luke’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

The smile on Karachi’s face grew wider. He spread his hands, his posture flamboyant and arrogant.

"It’s simple. A duel between Knights should ultimately be decided by true Power. We’ll each send out one Domain Knight. One match to decide the victor! What’s the matter, Thunder Dragon Duchy... are you afraid to accept the challenge?"

The moment his voice fell, a violent, scorching aura erupted from within the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s formation.

A Knight in dark red Heavy Armor, built like an iron tower, leaped out from the ranks. Behind him, the phantom image of a roaring, blood-red lion emanated a terrifying pressure.

"Aston, the ’Blood Lion’ of the Fiery Sun Kingdom, awaits!"

His voice was like a great bell, making everyone’s eardrums buzz.

A commotion immediately broke out in the Allied Army’s camp.

Lillian’s small face tensed, and she looked worriedly at her brother.

The enemy clearly wanted to escalate the battle to the highest level.

Raylo guessed that Karachi’s real killing move was to have the hidden "Radiant Blade" launch a fatal strike against Knight Luke while the two Domain Knights were dueling!

Just as Raylo was wracking his brain for a countermeasure, a voice as hard and cold as iron came from above.

"Hmph."

It was a scornful snort that seemed to carry a tangible chill, causing the surrounding temperature to drop.

Everyone followed the sound and saw Knight Luke standing proudly high in the air.

He didn’t even deign to look at the clamoring "Blood Lion." His hawk-like eyes were locked directly on Prince Karachi in the distance.

"You want to use children’s games on the battlefield?"

Luke’s voice was filled with undisguised mockery.

"If you want to play, I’ll play along. But once I make a move, there will be blood. I’m afraid that when the time comes, you, Karachi, as a mere Crown Prince, won’t have shoulders broad enough to bear the cost of a fallen Domain Knight."

"Iron Blood" Luke!

His tough words were like a shot of adrenaline for the Allied Army.

His grim, iron-blooded aura acted as an invisible barrier, completely repelling the "Blood Lion" Aston’s violent presence.

Karachi’s expression changed slightly.

"I’ve long heard of the great ’Iron Blood’ Luke. I just don’t know if the reputation is deserved or if you’re all talk. Knight Aston is not someone who can be easily defeated."

"You’re noisy."

Luke coldly spat out two words, no longer wasting his breath on him. The corner of his mouth curved into a cold, bloodthirsty arc.

He took a step forward, directly facing "Blood Lion" Aston. His aura surged, and an invisible Domain Power spread out, as if the entire space had transformed into a realm forged from killing intent and blood.

The auras of the two Tier Five Domain Knights clashed violently in the center of the battlefield, and the resulting currents of air were so strong that even the soldiers below couldn’t keep their footing.

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone held their breath.

The final duel was about to begin.

A sharp glint flashed in Karachi’s eyes.

’All troops, level one combat readiness.’

"The moment I... slay the Blood Lion will be the signal to attack."

"The entire army will charge forward. Capture Karachi alive."

Amidst the rising, iron-blooded killing aura, Luke’s voice spread across the entire battlefield.

On the battlefield, two distinct yet equally tyrannical expressions of Domain Power collided with a ROAR.

An invisible storm centered on Luke and "Blood Lion" Aston swept out in all directions.

It was not a true wind, but a shockwave formed purely from aura and will.

The soldiers in the front ranks of both armies bore the brunt of it. They felt as if an invisible sledgehammer had slammed into their chests, stopping their breath and forcing them to retreat several steps just to remain standing.

In the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s formation, a cold, confident smirk played on Prince Karachi’s lips.

Beside him, a seemingly unremarkable guard had a sharp light glinting in the depths of his eyes, a look that completely contradicted his plain attire.

That was his final trump card, "Radiant Blade" Kade.

The plan was perfect. Once the battle between Luke and Aston reached its peak, with both their Domains fully deployed and their focus absolute, "Radiant Blade" would launch a Thunderboltous Strike.

The fall of a Tier Five Domain Knight would be enough to completely break the spine of the Thunder Dragon Duchy.

However, just as Karachi thought everything was under his control, Luke, in the center of the battlefield, made a move that no one expected.

He didn’t immediately draw his sword, nor did he push his Domain further. Instead, he unhurriedly pulled a simple, ancient-looking Magic Scroll from within his robes.

The Scroll was made of some unknown Beast Hide, its surface covered in complex and profound golden Magic Patterns.

"A duel should be fought like a proper duel."

Luke’s voice was flat and calm, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone on the battlefield.

"We need a quiet place, lest our fun be spoiled by some... contemptible cowards."

Before his words had faded, he suddenly tore the Scroll open.

VMMMM!

A low hum reverberated through the sky.

The Scroll transformed into a streak of light that shot skyward, where it exploded in mid-air. It became a huge, translucent curtain of energy, like an overturned, colossal glass bowl, instantly enveloping him and "Blood Lion" Aston within a radius of several hundred meters.

Upon the curtain of light, golden Magic Patterns slithered about like living creatures, emitting indestructible waves of powerful Magic Power.

"High Tier Barrier Magic: Justice Barrier."

In that instant, the two Domain Knights were completely separated from the rest of the battlefield, as if they were in another, independent world.

Outside the Barrier, the violent clash of auras ceased abruptly, and the air began to move again.

Inside the Barrier, however, the storm raged, and killing intent overflowed.

The smile on Karachi’s face froze instantly.

"What’s going on?"

He snapped his head around.

The "Radiant Blade" Knight, disguised as a guard, had also straightened up, a grave expression appearing on his face for the first time.

He gave Karachi a slight shake of his head, his eyes signaling for him to remain calm, but his tightly knitted brow betrayed his inner turmoil.

This Barrier had sealed off the inside from the outside, completely disrupting their plan.

Seeing this from a distance, the weight that had been pressing on Raylo’s heart finally lifted.

Inside the Barrier, Aston’s expression had also turned ugly.

He was naturally aware of Karachi’s plan. Now, trapped in this confined space, he had lost his greatest advantage.

But he was, after all, a fierce general who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. After a moment of shock, he forcibly suppressed his unease and reignited his will to fight.

’Even in a head-on confrontation,’ he thought, ’I’m no weaker than ’Iron Blood’ Luke.’