Chapter 662: Duel
Chapter 662: Duel
In Chen Rui’s mind, some memory fragments began to appear. Most of these fragments were incomplete and vague, but they all had a common feature – The eyes.
The blue eyes were as beautiful as the sea, and there was a touch of sadness in the deep tenderness.
In a trance, all the fragments began to overlap, combining into a blurred scene. A warm hand gently brushed the boy’s face before the person slowly turned away. The distant back became more and more blurred in the boy’s tears.
This was the most vivid scene in Arthur’s subconscious mind. Or maybe it was called obsessiveness. Even Chen Rui’s subconsciousness, which had been fused with the memory fragments, couldn’t obliterate this strong obsession.
Chen Rui took a deep breath as he finally suppressed the strong mood swings. He frowned and asked Diego on the side, “Who is the woman sitting in the second row to the left of His Majesty?”
“Second row from the left?” Diego squinted his eyes for a long time. He couldn’t see clearly, but he refused to show weakness. He deliberately said, “Oh, it’s her. Don’t be delusional. A woman who can sit in that position is not someone a small character like you can covet.”
Chen Rui said in his heart: Covet your sister! If I really show you my royal identity, I’m afraid your sister will covet me. Before he could ask any more, Paul in the arena spoke up.
Paul bowed to Lex the Great in the VIP seat, then he exhaled and said, “Your Majesty Lex, Your Highnesses, sirs, and guests.”
Paul’s powerful voice overwhelmed the audience. The noisy arena gradually became quiet.
“I’m very sorry for keeping everyone waiting. You must feel very strange, why hasn’t my opponent Samuel. Kemplot shown up yet?”
Paul’s words caused whispers which were obviously guessing the reason. According to the time, the challenger Samuel should have appeared, but he was nowhere to be seen even now!
The patriarch of the Kemplot Family, Samuel’s father, the empire’s Finance Affairs Department’s deputy director Carlo. Kemplot had already begun to sweat, Samuel was the Silver Knight of the Empire, and the duel was hosted by Lex the Great himself. Cowardice and defeat were 2 complete concepts. If Samuel hadn’t appeared yet, it would no longer be a question of the outcome of the duel. The Kemplot Family wouldn’t be able to bear the anger of Lex the Great.
“Here I want to announce to you the news that I just got today. The channel of this news is originally very reliable, but because the content of the news is too shocking, I have not been sure. However, as Samuel has not shown up now, it is enough to prove the truthfulness of this news.”
Paul glanced at Carlo, who was constantly wiping his sweat, and turned his gaze on the Philip Family’s patriarch and Joanna’s father Frett with a sneer, “The news is that Samuel knows he is not my opponent. Just under the guise of a duel, he has eloped with my fiancee Joanna long ago!”
This was indeed explosive news. There was a sudden commotion in the arena stands with more and more discussions. Many people knew about Samuel and Joanna’s love relationship, and they also knew about Samuel’s loss in the last duel. Regardless of his daughter’s objections, Joanna’s father set a wedding date with the Loman Family. It was unexpected that Samuel was so bold this time that he ignored the duel hosted by Lex the Great and escaped with Joanna!
Patriarch Frett of the Philip Family was shocked. His gaze at Paul was full of shock and anger. Joanna went to the Garden City to relax and had not returned. Even if she eloped with Samuel, it was not impossible. But Frett didn’t expect Paul, who had always been respectful to him, didn’t inform him beforehand. Instead, he directly revealed the incident in front of His Majesty Lex and everyone. It was equivalent to humiliating the Philip Family in the face. Not only that, this scandal was tantamount to directly damaging the reputation of the arbiter Lex the Great. It would bring extremely serious consequences to both the Philip Family and the Kemplot Family.
If it was before Eliza’s persuasion, Paul would definitely not offend the Philip Family. Now that he had decided on his future, he must show his determination to the church and the Holy Lady. If the 2 families could be suppressed at the same time, it would definitely benefit the Loman Family’s expansion without any harm. As long as the Loman Family grew to a certain degree, plus the church’s secret support, even Lex the Great would be deterred to a certain degree.
Many people in the VIP seats also whispered while Lex the Great was still indifferent without joy and anger. No one knew what he was thinking.
At this moment, the surrounding discussion suddenly subsided. Paul was slightly shocked as he seemed to sense something. A disbelief light flashed in his eyes as he slowly turned his head.
2 people appeared in the court, 1 man and 1 woman; it was Samuel and Joanna.
Paul couldn’t believe his eyes. Shouldn’t Samuel and Joanna be killed in Storm Island? Is this Eliza’s trick? This is even more impossible. Eliza finally managed to win me over. She has no motive to frame me!
“First of all, I want to plead guilty to Your Majesty. Due to some special reasons, I’m late.” Samuel saluted toward the VIP table, “I was delayed because I went to a dangerous place to save the favorite woman in my life. That place is called Storm Island.”
As soon as this sentence came out, the audience was once again in a commotion. The Storm Island! That is a dangerous place that even a Saint Powerhouse dares not to approach! For Joanna, Samuel actually… By the way, why was Joanna on Storm Island?
“What a joke! How can you save people from Storm Island?” Paul had quickly recovered from the shock. His thoughts had changed sharply, “It’s obviously you who seduced my fiancée… then both of you colluded to make up this ridiculous lie!”
“Joanna is no longer your fiancée. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, the marriage contract between the Philip Family and Loman Family will be canceled.” It was Patriarch Frett of the Philip Family. The Philip Family’s power was even above the Loman Family. In the beginning, he forced his daughter to marry Paul because of the Kemplot Family’s fall from grace and Paul’s potential and church background. Now, Paul humiliated the Philip Family severely in front of everyone and almost destroyed the Philip Family, he naturally wouldn’t be so stupid that he would give Samuel another chance to humiliate them.
This decision was expected by many people, including Paul, but when he heard Frett’s announcement in person, he still had an heartache. A strong resentment that surged in his heart was naturally directed at Joanna and Samuel.
At this moment, Lex the Great’s low voice sounded from the VIP seat. The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
“Since the 2 parties of the duel have arrived, then the duel begins.”
Samuel nodded to Joanna. Joanna sensibly didn’t say a word. She just gave him a lovely smile and walked to the stand.
Paul’s face was already covered with haze, and his eyes were full of hostility. Joanna had always been cold to him and had never smiled like that- This damn couple can come back alive in Storm Island and show up in the arena in time. This really causes a heavy setback to me. Now that things have developed to this point, I must defeat Samuel in the duel. As a winner, I will insist that Samuel and Joanna colluded to frame me. Then, I’ll rush to the Holy Light Mountain to become the Divinity Temple Knight and make use of the Holy Light Mountain’s power to protect the Loman Family.
Although many of the previous plans have to be aborted in this way, it is the only way to remedy and reverse the situation.
Paul groaned and exuded a murderous aura as he clenched a long sword in both hands. This was a 2-handed sword named ‘Magnificent Light’ gifted by Paul’s teacher, Paladin Captain Parsali. The 2-handed sword was also called a 2-handed greatsword. The width and length of the sword body were far beyond that of ordinary 1-handed swords. There was a ricasso between the blade and the hilt which could not only play a role in connection, but it was also inlaid with a magic gem that also acted as a buff. The quillons were slightly tilted upwards with sharp blades at the end like the fangs of a beast.
Samuel slowly drew out a long sword. Compared with ‘Magnificent Light’, this excellent grade sword was just an ordinary item. The breath on the Silver Knight did not have any specific fluctuation. Compared with Paul’s aggressive aura, his aura was like a calm well.
Lex the Great’s gaze stopped for a while on Samuel, brightened slightly, and was calm again. The young man on the side suddenly yawned as if he had foreseen the outcome of the victory and defeat. He was not interested in watching anymore. This action seemed rude to Lex the Great, but Lex didn’t mind at all while the rest of the people didn’t seem to notice it.
Paul’s figure flashed, and he quickly approached Samuel. The 2-handed sword swept across with the sound of a terrifying wind. As long as there was a space to wield the 2-handed sword, its power was quite terrifying. Staggering cracks had already appeared on the solid ground protected by the enchantment due to the wind pressure of the sword.
Samuel didn’t take it forcibly. He mainly dodged and adopted a guerilla strategy. It seemed that he wanted to exhaust Paul’s physical strength. Paul was unmoved as his attack became more vigorous.
In fact, the last time Paul had a duel with Samuel, he didn’t use his true strength. This time, Samuel’s strength obviously went to the next level as he entered Saint (Pseudo-Saint) which was equal to him. However, Paul was aware of the weakness of Samuel’s lack of endurance which was precisely Paul’s strength. Since Samuel defended and dodged with great difficulty under this kind of high-pressure attack, his consumption of physical strength would be greater, so he would definitely first be exhausted by then.
Suddenly, Samuel’s long sword drew an unimaginable arc. The back of the blade was pressed against the spine of the greatsword swiftly. This speed and power were above imagination.
Paul was taken aback. He turned his head hurriedly, and he felt a chill on his face. His face had been slashed by the sword. Samuel didn’t give him another chance. The long sword in his hand was like a cunning viper, bypassing the sharp edge of the greatsword and frequently locking in Paul’s vitals.
In the dim light of the sword, there were several cuts on the blue gem armor on Paul’s body, and there was blood dripping on the ground. It was Paul’s blood.
Chen Rui nodded secretly. Since accepting the pointers, Samuel’s combat skills and power use have made great progress. In fact, the difference in strength between the 2 sides is not very large. Paul’s strength is only 1 step away from the intermediate stage of the Demon Emperor while Samuel has just been promoted to the intermediate stage of the Demon Emperor. There is no suspense in this battle. I can plan the next move with peace of mind now.
TL: Does Paul still have some hidden power?