The battle went on for hours, Astrid easily defeating twenty men, both from the Nobles and some mercenary that he knew by face. She was exhausted, looking at the chart on the side of the arena, her name was already part of the final set, one last battle and she will move straight to the next Quest.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwe1qdzp3x
“I’m tired,” Vice Commander Lucius just finished his twentieth fight, aside from a small cut on his arms, he was doing better than she expected. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpUuZxXQFD
“We cannot let our guard down, all the powerful opponents still stand on that arena,” and true enough, the Prince of Haybeast just finished his twentieth fight, the man who he had faced was quite unknown, and he was barely breathing. The healing mages carried him away from the arena, seeing how badly beaten the poor man was, Astrid couldn’t hide her disgust over the Prince. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7TQQJeGQS
“Come on Drystan, stop making me wait and finish your fight already!” The sound of his roaring voice can be heard in the entire arena that caught everyone by surprised. At the center of the arena, the Crown Prince of Hayes, still stands. He was barely moving on his spot but the man that he was facing was wounded enough that he could barely lift his sword, the man was a knight of the house of Tyrelli, a powerful and influential Noble who was known as the advisor for the King of Aetas. Astrid knew the man well, he was considered as a master swordsman in the capital, but seeing him having a hard time in battling with Crown Prince Drystan was quite a sight to see. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jWnixbhWt
“Your as impatient as ever Beast,” and without as much as moving from his place, the Prince sword came out of nowhere and ended up stabling his opponent in an instant. Astrid saw it with her own eyes, but her mind can’t seems to believe what she just saw. It was a sword, a sword that can be controlled at will, a sword that not even her could use nor knew how to produce, a sword that can only be made with the Prince overwhelming aura. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWeZAgBzlRQ
“What was that?” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcod7dik0y
“An aura sword,”A man answered behind them, Astrid didn’t sense his aura at all, wondering how the man managed to hide his presence around her. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrNVmPwP3r
“An aura sword?” It was exactly what she thought, and to think someone like him knew about it means that he’s no ordinary man. The knowledge about the aura sword was very limited, after all, it was a phenomenon that happens once in every fifty years at most. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHvUrMno0Q
“Rumor has it that the ability to create a sword or any weapons using people’s aura was the ability of the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Hayes, the late King of Hayes was the only living person who managed to show the Empire of such power, to think that the only living Royalty of Hayes has it was quite a surprise,” the man was looking at the Prince with so much awe and admiration, no one can blame him though, all throughout the long history of the Empire, only eight persons were recorded as an aura bender.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdgl053un2
Out of thousands participants, there were only thirty of them left, and only half of them would proceed to the next Quest. Looking around her, Astrid could see that only her two Vice Commander were left of her people. The rest were mercenaries, known knights from a few Nobel families in the entire Empire, two Holy Knights from the Temple, the mysterious man from earlier, Prince Leandro of Haybeast and Crown Crown Prince Drystan of Hayes.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjM0U5mPyeA
“The last battle would be in pairs, both of you must succeed to defeat your opponents, again, both of you must succeed in order to proceed with the next Quest,” hearing the King’s attendant spouting such rules doesn’t make any sense, she was the one who made the rules in the beginning, to think that they would change it during the last battle was the least that she was expecting. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡen8WwQzz3t
The selection was made easier for everyone, a squire were holding a wooden box, the two people who got the same color of magic crystals inside the box would be on the same team. It’s just a matter of luck, Astrid was hoping to have at least her Vice Commander beside her, the chance of winning in such condition, she needed someone that she could depend on. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYs4fz6E56t
“Looks like, you have the worst luck of us three,” Astrid can’t help but tease Vice-Commander Lucius at times like this, of all people to be partnered with, Lucius was unlucky enough to be next to none other than, the Prince of Haybeast himself. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiV8j00xDA
“I’d rather be on your spot than be next to that annoying Holy Knight,” Thamuz wasn’t exaggerating at all, the Commander of the Holy Knights, Sir Peter Sterling was quite an annoying person. Even Astrid couldn’t stand his arrogance and vanity.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhmHBiTXYS
“Yeah, but at least I wouldn’t be fearing for my life to end if I don’t watch my back,” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNJNXkZTeR
“Stop blabbering, you two. Getting to the next Quest, that’s our goal, and an order from me, you understand?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEMvmHWVtv
“Yes, Knight Commander,” Astrid felt a sudden sense of relief, the two Vice Commander would do just fine, she knows it, but it didn’t stop her from giving them her blessings. Being born into the House of Malthor, Astrid has the ability to imbued others with her blessings and shared a bit of her mana. But disguising it as healing magic was quite difficult, and in order not to be caught, she has to do it cautiously. The competition would be harsher in this round and the least she could do was to make sure that no one of them would be killed. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jfNLwsISr
“You’re quite gutsy for sharing your mana with them knowing that you will also be needing every bit of your strength in order for us to win this round, don’t you think so?” Astrid couldn’t hide the surprised on her face both from the man sudden appearance and the fact that he knew what she just did. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlj0ADpVnD
“Greetings to the Crown Prince, may the blessing of the sun be with you,” the prince aura was different from the first time that she saw him in the Minor Arena, the warmth of his presence was still evident, but she could tell that he was indeed concealing everything else. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEKFBKqmxB
“Forget about the formalities, I see you don’t seem to be aware that I’ll be your partner, am I right?” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvFsAN4psO
“Forgive me My Lord, it seems like you got the wrong person, I believe I was in the same team as the Mercenary from the Eastern Empire,” Astrid was sure that she saw the leader of the Mercenary troops picked the same color as her magic crystals.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uc5K7JauU
“For someone who could share her mana discreetly, you’re quite naive, let me see your crystal,” to think that he could see right through her with not much effort scared her much to her liking. Giving in to his request, Astrid was stunned to see that he was indeed holding the same color of magic crystals as hers, it was cobalt blue, bright and shining splendidly in front of her. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkOE45fT3T
“But-”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSA3C72boBd
“The magic crystals changes it colors with the contact of mana, look at everyone changing partners in an instant,” True enough, everyone was in chaos with finding their new partners, looking around the arena, she saw that even her Vice Commander’s partner changes, and it almost caught her breath away in fear when she saw what just happened. Because Vice Commander Lucius was now facing the Prince of Haybeast. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsRIuvLcKx
“This can’t be,” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyldkxNfVWe
“You’re way to concerned about your people, Knight Commander,” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3inw8PVy7b
“And how could I not when they were facing such strong opponents?” not just Lucius, but even Vice Commander Thamuz was facing the strongest out of all the Mercenary troops leader. The man could even wield summoning, and Vice Commander Thamuz can only use limited defensive spells. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhQ9H7uz6k
“You don’t seems to understand the weight of the situation Knight Commander, this is a battle not just for the throne, nor being the Crown Princess husband, this is also a battle of pride, strength and honor, whoever decided to be part of it already knew the danger of this Quest, have more faith in your men and focus on our battle instead,” to think that the Crown Prince of Hayes would be the one consoling her troubled heart left her speechless as she take the seat next to him. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJHMi0KSkPd
“Who are we battling with?” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsfj0uLNVn
“Those two, the Commander in Chief of the Holy Knight, Claude Montgreal, and that one, a sorcerer from the land of Valtos, Augustus Light,” Astrid knew the Commander in Chief of the Holy Knights, unlike the vein Peter Sterling, Claude Montgreal has quite the reputation in all of the Holy Knights of the Empire, he was the youngest to uphold the title as Commander in Chief. He has the skills, and his holy power was not bad at all. Augustus Light was a successor of the House of Light, one of the most prominent family of sorcerers in the Kingdom of Valtos. Rumor has it that Augustus was the mentor of the youngest prince of Valtos, Prince Phoevus Witchester. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1oy4xs7wA
“May I know what our plan will be to win this battle My Lord?” Fighting their opponents simultaneously wouldn’t be easy, but it shouldn’t be that hard either. One on one battle should solve the equation, but both of her and the prince should win if she wanted to proceed with the next Quest.48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpL3nrzzdt
“I don’t actually have plan; do we need to have one?” 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBqf6Uto9yC
“Not necessarily,”
“You’re so uptight Knight Commander, how about you handle the Holy Knight and I’ll deal with the little sorcerer?”48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29BjrCFlSR
“Why would I handle the Holy Knight?” Astrid thought that the prince would decides to have the knight for himself. After all, defeating the Commander in Chief of the Holy Knight would be a great feat. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99nBm4TFn9
“Because he looks like he was eyeing for you, can’t you feel his burning gaze? An unfinished business that I should be aware of?” he teased, but true enough that Claude Montgreal was eyeing her intently. The two of them has quite an encounter during the Civil War in the Western Territory, Astrid was leading the Imperial Knight and Claude just attained the title of Commander in Chief. Due to his lack of experience in the battlefield, Astrid saved him quite a few times, and he seems to be holding that against her ever since. 48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zVpZj5Gll
“There’s no such thing My Lord,”Astrid decided not to dwell on it, the final battle will commence in an hour, giving them a chance to rest for a while.
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