Outside the 【Mountain Father】 fortress, Dathrohan waited patiently.
He was not in the least bit hurried. After demonstrating such overwhelming dominance, it was only natural for the enemy to fall into chaos.
He estimated it would take some time for them to discuss a countermeasure. It didn't matter; the legion had already surrounded the fortress. As long as the opponent didn't flee, he feared no specific targeting.
Even though this was a mission given by the Azure Maiden, Dathrohan wished to resolve it with the honorable duel of a grail knight.
More than destroying the ancient profane creations, what concerned this grail knight more was another request from the Lady of the Lake—to capture Faust.
According to his preliminary investigation, he knew that the Princess of Midwinter was accompanied by that Prince of Qingxi, and his guess was...
Lady Azure Maiden likely saw potential in this Prince of Qingxi and intended to cultivate him?
Dathrohan was naturally aware that the Azure Maiden was very enthusiastic about nurturing 【grail knights】. Even among all the ladies of the lake, the Azure Maiden was perhaps the one with the greatest influence; nearly ten 【grail knights】 were her loyal pursuers.
This fact troubled Dathrohan greatly. To stand out among so many pursuers, he had exhausted his mind and soul. If he were to personally bring back another competitor, it would truly be a situation where he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
However, the lady's will was absolute. No matter how reluctant Dathrohan was, he would never offer secret opposition to the Azure Maiden's orders.
His only confusion was why the lady didn't simply reveal her true form and offer an olive branch to that Prince of Qingxi. Why take the forceful approach of capture instead?
Was there anyone in this world who could refuse the lady?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! The lady's charm was irresistible!
While Dathrohan was still carefully recalling the Azure Maiden's expression when she gave him the instructions, oscillating between hope and fear, a booming sound echoed from within the fortress.
"Is it finally here?"
Dathrohan immediately shifted his focus back to the battle, raising his greatsword.
A Titan frost-walker came charging out. Compared to the profane creation he had just dismantled, this construct was clearly shorter, but its movements were fundamentally different.
How should he put it... it didn't seem so robotic; it felt more like a living human.
What kind of change had been made? Were other profane functions installed, or was there... a person inside this machine?
The grail knight frowned. While speculating on the various possibilities, he controlled his knight-god to back away, leaving enough space.
After Faust maneuvered the titan out, he first took a deep breath. The cold air pouring into the titan's vents actually made his own body feel the sensation.
The effect of this neural link pod was quite impressive. There was no rejection at all; the shell of the Titan frost-walker felt exactly like his own body.
The prince looked at the knight-god before him, performed a hand salute, and bowed slightly. "I am Faust Qingxi, currently serving as the guardian knight to the Princess of Midwinter. I ask for your guidance, sir."
Dathrohan's eyes narrowed as he recognized the gesture. "This is... the etiquette of the White Court?"
Consequently, the knight-god also sheathed its weapon and returned the salute. "Good day, Prince Faust. I am Dathrohan Golden Eagle, a grail knight under the Lady of the Lake."
The ancient profane creations were not worthy of him announcing his name, but since his opponent was a prince, proper etiquette was essential. This was the protocol between occult nobles and could not be neglected.
After the greeting, Dathrohan offered another persuasion. "Prince Faust, you are a royal of a kingdom yourself. Why side with ancient profane creations? Lady Azure Maiden specifically requested to see you. If you abandon the darkness and turn to the light now, we can avoid a pointless struggle."
"Ha, Sir Dathrohan, are you intending to persuade me to surrender?"
Faust laughed. "Since you recognize this etiquette, you should know that I carry the legacy of a White Court martial saint. To lose without a fight in the face of a challenge that transcends limits? That would be a shameful insult!"
He raised the sword-spear in his hands and pointed it at the grail knight. "I will defend my princess with my life. Even if the enemy is a grail knight, and even if the odds are slim, I shall never flinch!"
The prince's words were powerful and resonant. Although he had already stacked many buffs, shouting a few grand slogans was always beneficial.
The key was to let everyone hear them.
"I see. So, that Snow White is your beloved."
Dathrohan hadn't expected to succeed in his persuasion anyway. He nodded slightly and said, "It was my mistake to question a warrior's fighting spirit. Your determination to protect your beloved is something I feel deeply as well. If the day ever comes when my lady needs my protection, I would act exactly as you do."
The grail knight sighed and finally offered an apology. "But I am sorry. To ensure the lady is not disappointed, I must take you away, and I must win this victory... If there were a choice, I truly wouldn't wish to use my strength to bully the weak."
After the greetings came the fierce battle!
Without holding back, the moment Dathrohan's voice fell, he executed another straight thrust.
The 【Blazing Lake-Light Fire】 ignited the greatsword, as he intended to replicate his previous achievement—a one-hit kill.
"Hah—!"
Faust's eyes sharpened as he hurriedly used his sword-spear to parry Dathrohan's thrust.
This move had just instant-killed the slow and sluggish Titan frost-walker, but it had no effect on Faust. After specialized training from Mystoria, the Prince of Qingxi was terrifyingly strong in terms of battle awareness.
Although he viewed technique as something impure, it had to be used when necessary. Numerical suppression was indeed a path to ultimate power, but unfortunately, before fully growing, one still needed technique to bridge the gap against strong enemies.
Fortunately, in this regard, the prince was not lacking.
"Oh? You actually parried it? A very high-level force redirection technique, to apply human skills to a mecha... the legacy of the White Court martial saint truly lives up to its reputation."
Dathrohan praised him upon seeing this, saying, "At your age, your talent is quite remarkable. No wonder the lady developed an interest in recruiting you."
The opponent's praise did not make Faust happy. The Prince of Qingxi only laughed self-deprecatingly; only after actually crossing blades did he realize how massive the gap between him and Dathrohan was.
Faust's current occult attainment was that of a 【Master】 rank 【sovereign monarch】. It seemed strong enough, but in reality, it wasn't very useful.
Rank was only a reference; actual combat power depended on the specific 【path】 and mystery traits.
Take Faust, for example. Most of his current combat power was supported by his experience in the 【White Court martial saint】 path, and in that regard, he was at best at the 【Elite】 level.
But that was enough to crush a standard 【Master】.
【grail knights】 were without exception powerhouses of the 【hero】 rank. But even among those of the 【hero】 rank, the difference between them could be greater than the difference between a human and a dog.
For instance, Faust's adoptive father, the founding monarch of the Qingxi Kingdom, was a 【hero】 rank warrior at his peak. But his path was too ordinary—a pure standard class. Compared to a 【grail knight】, there was a literal chasm between them.
If they truly fought, a grail knight could likely kick him to death.
Legendary adventurers? They were merely the threshold to glimpse the grail!
Among the mortals Faust knew, only his teacher Mystoria could consistently win against a 【grail knight】.
Rate on N.U.
