Chapter 196: Going to the capital alone! A test from my father-in-law?
The summer sun scorched the earth, and the air shimmered with heat.
Mirage-like phantoms wavered in the distant sky, then a gust of wind tore through them, suddenly passing through!
Arthur pendragon flew through the streets of the Royal Capital Freyjawig, with an ever-growing crowd of fervent citizens behind him.
Riding the wind, he put a great distance between himself and the crowd, heading straight for the castle in the center of the Royal Capital!
The next moment, a torrent of steel, occupying the entire road, blocked his path.
Dark cannons turned their muzzles, and the cold breath of death locked onto him completely.
"...They even deployed the army? If you really kill me, your Royal Princess will become a widow!"
Before Arthur pendragon finished speaking, deafening explosions and shockwaves swept through the entire street, with flames soaring into the sky!
The pursuing citizens stopped in their tracks, looking at the sea of fire with uncertainty.
"How was it? Did we win?"
"Idiot! Our Son-in-Law is a Rank A Knight, the same rank as Princess Stella! These cannons aren't even fit to scratch him!"
"Alas, though I'm very unwilling, we can only leave it to General Signa and her team next."
A fierce wind howled, tearing away all the lingering gunpowder smell and explosive flames.
Arthur pendragon stood unharmed on the roof of a building, subtly glancing at the pockmarked street below.
"Just to be clear, I'm not the one causing the destruction."
"Hmph, these trivial matters are not for you to worry about!"
The sound of wind breaking rose, and dozens of soldiers in scarlet military uniforms had already leaped onto the surrounding rooftops, surrounding him.
A young woman, wearing epaulets and leading the group, pushed up her glasses, her voice as cold as ice.
"Vermillion Army General, Signa Eiron. Arthur pendragon, you are surrounded; surrender!"
"Normally, shouldn't I say that I've been framed?"
Arthur pendragon surveyed the calm-breathing soldiers, his gaze finally resting on Signa's unsmiling face, a playful smile on his lips.
"It seems my father-in-law doesn't like me very much."
"What!?"
Signa's hand, about to give an order, suddenly stiffened, and she frowned, denying it.
"This is a test set by all the citizens for you, it has nothing to do with His Majesty the King!"
"I'm not as naive as Stella, General Signa."
Arthur pendragon shrugged, his smile deepening.
"Who else could command the army to act so recklessly on the streets of the Royal Capital, other than the one sitting high in the castle?"
Signa's brows knitted together, about to retort, when Arthur pendragon's feet suddenly burst with astonishing speed, his entire body splitting into several afterimages, boldly breaking through!
"Fire!"
The surrounding soldiers immediately pulled their triggers, but the bullets only pierced through afterimages!
Signa knew that ordinary soldiers couldn't stop a Rank A Knight, so she suddenly looked up and shouted sharply.
"Timite! Mili! Act!"
The next moment, the ground in front of Arthur pendragon suddenly softened, the earth surging like waves, and a trident tore through the soil and rock, thrusting straight at his face!
Bang!
He flicked his wrist, lightly tapping the sword hilt, and used the force to deflect the fierce attack!
Immediately after, a sharp bang tore through the air, directly hitting his eardrums!
The sniper bullet struck the blade of durandal, breaking in half with a clang, and the deflected explosive bullets instead forced back the enemy trying to pounce from the other side!
Timite, holding the trident, flipped and leaped back several times, landing on an adjacent rooftop, where he met a girl holding a large gun-type Divine Armament.
"We couldn't even hit him with a sneak attack? This guy is ridiculously fast, what do we do?"
"It's only normal for him to be powerful, otherwise, how could he have conquered that busty Stella?"
Arthur pendragon felt a considerable amount of Magic Conduction power within the two, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"So, there are other high-level Blazers in Vermillion."
"Nice to meet you, Son-in-Law."
Timite brandished his trident, re-assuming his stance, and nodded with a smile.
"I am Timite Greish, a Rank C Knight of the National Academy."
Mili, on the other side, merely nodded lightly in response, focusing on reloading her gun-type Divine Armament with special ammunition.
"Miliararia Regi, just call me Mili. A Rank C Knight of the National Academy, and Stella's playmate, I suppose."
Arthur pendragon's peripheral vision caught the tank army below turning their muzzles and moving back towards them.
He raised durandal, the wind pressure condensed on the blade growing sharper.
"Since you are Magic Knights, then I'll get a little more serious."
As soon as he said this, the two girls' scalps instantly tingled; no words were needed, their long-standing combat synergy already unfolding!
Blazer Art: Material Stealth!
The solid ground became a sea for Timite to freely roam, and his trident stirred up grey-brown furious waves, rushing towards Arthur pendragon to attack!
At the same time, Mili squinted one eye, her sharp gaze piercing through the earth and rock waves, locking onto the faintly visible figure behind!
Blazer Art: Calamity Bullet!
Three special bullets, distinctly different from Magic Conduction, drew three strange arcs in mid-air, curving towards Arthur pendragon's blind spot behind him!
"I see, you two specialize in cover operations."
The clear, cold voice seemed to sound right next to their ears, instantly freezing the confident smiles on Timite's and Mili's faces.
Before either of them could react, the intersecting instantaneous slash that stifled the five senses was already upon them!
Two slashes flashed across their Inherent spiritual equipment, followed by the crisp sound of breaking, and a strong sense of dizziness rushed into their minds!
"Next time, remember to check if your opponent can fly before you stir up waves."
Arthur pendragon's slightly instructive voice became the lullaby that sent their consciousness plummeting into darkness.
Having dealt with the two girls, a burst of wind exploded beneath his feet, and he once again flew towards the Royal City along the undulating rooftops.
The tank army behind him completely stopped their pursuit. Signa looked at the black dot rapidly disappearing at the edge of her vision, grinding her teeth fiercely.
"Old man... you are the last line of defense!"
...
On the wide street approaching the castle, a bald old man wearing a lion-headed rapier had been waiting for a long time.
He saw Arthur pendragon landing in front of him and waved with a friendly smile.
"Future Son-in-Law, how do you feel about your tour of the Vermillion Kingdom?"
Arthur pendragon felt the restrained yet sharp iron-blooded sword qi from the old man, and his eyes showed understanding.
"I feel the citizens are overly enthusiastic. Also, thank you for taking care of Stella in the past."
"Oh?"
A glint flashed in the old man's aged, drooping eyelids.
"You've already seen through the sword qi of this old man, and that it comes from the same source as Her Highness?"
"Oh, my memory. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Daniel Dandellion, Chief Instructor of Vermillion. I trouble you to draw your sword."
The old man raised his weapon, and materialized blood-colored fighting spirit condensed at the tip of his sword. Translucent curtains descended from the sky, trapping the two within them.
"This is the 'Gladiatorial Arena'; the outside world cannot interfere. Here, my abilities will be maximized. You don't mind, do you?"
Arthur pendragon flicked the thick curtain with his finger, estimating that the left and right spacing of this space was less than two meters, making it the perfect instant-kill domain for rapier thrusts.
"No need to mind. On the battlefield, there is no such thing as fairness."
"Good mindset."
Daniel's cloud-like beard lifted, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
"I've watched Princess Stella grow up since she was a baby. It seems that from now on, this old man can finally rest."
Before he finished speaking, Daniel's figure vanished from its spot!
He took a step to seize the optimal attacking position, and his rapier thrust repeatedly, sword light like lightning, arcs filling the sky!
Puff!
A slight muffled sound, and the sword light filling the sky abruptly stopped.
The tip of that rapier, which flashed erratically like a spiritual snake, was firmly clamped by Arthur pendragon's two fingers!
"Your Divine Armament is very interesting. It looks like a rapier for thrusting, but in fact, the blade's elasticity is astonishing, making it more adept at unexpected curved whip-like strikes."
Daniel trembled all over, trying several times to pull back his Divine Armament, but found the blade unmoving, and could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
"My true abilities were seen through in one move. I'm old, useless."
Arthur pendragon released his fingers, shaking his head in refutation.
"At this distance, my sword is not convenient to draw, so I was forced to block with my bare hands. You are very strong."
Daniel's rapier dissipated into points of Magic Conduction light in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"No need to comfort this old man; continue forward."
"However, the Emperor inside is far more stubborn than this old man."
Arthur pendragon nodded slightly, passed the old man, and ran deep into the magnificent castle.