Galvin faced the man before him whose aura seemed utterly unremarkable, but his palm gripping the knight's sword was constantly sweating, as if he wasn't holding cold steel, but a red-hot branding iron.
Right at this moment, tense to the point of near solidification, Arthur spoke, his hoarse voice shattering the silence between the four.
"You didn't go to reinforce the fortress?"
Lide slowly drew the slender sword at his waist, its blade gleaming with a cold light within the Gray Mist. He said calmly, "It seems you are well aware of what happened over there."
"However, unfortunately, the Extraordinary stationed in the Storm Territory are not only Dominic and Simo, and certainly not just me."
He faced the three, his voice clearly reaching everyone's ears, "Go back. Today, you're not going anywhere."
Galvin's heart sank. A sense of foreboding coiled around his heart; he always felt something was about to go wrong at the fortress.
So he tightened his grip on the knight's sword and said in a low voice, "I don't think so. Arthur, attack!"
"Mhm."
The heavy knight's longsword in his hand was instantly coated in frost, carrying a bone-chilling cold wind as it descended straight towards Lide's head.
Simultaneously, Galvin slid to Lide's side like a leopard. His palm hadn't even fully left the ground before his knight's sword slashed diagonally towards Lide's waist, covered by chainmail.
One attacked head-on, the other from the side, their coordination seamless, sealing off most of Lide's dodging space.
"Too slow." Lide suddenly remarked, his voice so calm it seemed he was stating a fact.
In the next instant, his figure transformed into a blurred afterimage. The seemingly light and nimble slender sword in his hand suddenly erupted with chaotic, cold light, like an ice flower blooming and then withering.
"Break!"
Galvin only felt an indescribable, immense force, as if he had been rammed head-on by a Draft Animal charging at full speed from the north.
He didn't even see how the other party parried and counterattacked. His entire body was already uncontrollably sent flying backwards, crashing heavily onto the ground several meters away, his chest churning with surging blood and energy.
Arthur, who was attacking head-on, was also forced to retreat several steps in succession before stabilizing his stance. The dark blue Soulfire beneath his helmet flickered violently, revealing his inner turmoil at this moment.
And all of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Glenn, hiding behind them, was startled by this battle that started suddenly and ended instantly. He hurriedly ducked back behind the door, poking out only half his head, whispering encouragement, "Sir Arthur, Sir Galvin, do your best!"
Lide didn't even glance at him, as if he had no interest in this young man from the Snow Jackal Family from the very beginning.
He lowered the slender sword in his hand, his gaze falling on Arthur, a trace of surprise in his voice. "You could see my sword?"
Arthur intended to speak, but suddenly felt a burning heat erupt in his chest. That Sunblossom now seemed to have come alive, burning fiercely.
It was like a restless flame dancing within his icy breastplate, bringing a sensation he had almost forgotten... a palpitation akin to a heartbeat.
His silence made Lide smile, a smile that seemed to carry a hint of understanding. "It seems you are very wary of me."
"Naturally, if it were the me of the past, facing a fallen knight serving a Demon, I would be just as cautious as you are."
Galvin struggled to his feet, wiped away a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, walked to Arthur's side, and faced Lide again, asking in a low voice, "What exactly do you want to do?"
Lide's expression remained as calm and unruffled as ever. "I've said it before. I wouldn't have the same patience for others, but you are Galvin, so I don't mind repeating it a second time."
"You now have only two choices. Either stay here, go nowhere, or right here, defeat me fairly and squarely."
"I will give you time. If you're not ready, go back."
As his words fell, the three instantly fell into silence again, only the Gray Mist flowing silently around them.
Galvin noticed that Arthur seemed somewhat out of sorts and chose not to attack immediately.
His gaze remained fixed on Lide, not missing a single subtle movement, trying to find any possible opening.
It was Glenn, hiding behind them, whose expression became thoughtful. His eyes shifted back and forth between Arthur and Galvin, as if pondering something.
A long time later, Lide reached out, casually crushing a wisp of Gray Mist that drifted before him, and said something utterly perplexing:
"Autumn seems to be coming soon."
"The gray geese of the Northern Territory will soon fly south, flying to the even more southern southern kingdoms to spend the winter."
Glenn cautiously poked his head out and asked in a small voice, "You mean... for us to go back in autumn?"
Lide continued to ignore him, merely gazing at the sky shrouded in Gray Mist, as if talking to himself, yet also as if narrating a distant story:
"I remember, it was the year I turned eight, when the Elk Duke was escorted to the Royal Capital and never returned to the Northern Territory. Back then, I still knew nothing, just following my family southward in a daze during the migration."
"I was even excited, thinking I could finally fly to the warm south for the winter like the gray geese, leaving behind those deep snowfields where every step left a footprint, getting away from those annoying snowflakes that always drifted into my collar, escaping that bone-piercing cold, and the stifling life of spending most of the long winter confined to dim houses... fantasizing about returning to my familiar hometown when spring arrived and flowers bloomed..."
"When I grew a little older, I realized I could never return to the Northern Territory."
Glenn chimed in, "I remember some elders mentioning that the Elk Duke desecrated the faith of the Sun Church, received divine punishment, and willingly returned to the Royal Capital to accept his crime."
"Later, he mounted the guillotine. Those implicated were all executed by hanging. Since then, the Mears family has been in decline, and even Luka Castle, the most prosperous place in the Forge Region, fell into decline because of it."
He paused, recalling, "It's said several other families were implicated, among them... the Valentián family, that famous warrior family."
Only then did Lide look at him, his eyes calm and unruffled. "Valentián, my surname. It has been cursed, distrusted by the royal family, not permitted to set foot in the Royal Capital half a step."
"Even under strict surveillance, forced to live like refugees in the old city district, amidst only sewage and garbage. We were like rats hiding in the sewers, constantly hiding, afraid of all the ears lurking in the shadows, terrified that a single wrong word would bring utter disaster."
"My father... he even wanted me to completely avoid this matter. He exhausted his last favors and wealth to obtain a special pardon from the Crown Prince for me. Although I still couldn't return to the Northern Territory, it allowed me to go study at the academy in Smaragdon in Emerald City, to become a scholar detached from worldly strife and live out my life in peace."
"But I was already eighteen by then. I was unwilling to keep wandering in exile because of such a baseless crime, and I didn't believe the truth of the matter was as simple as just 'desecration.' So, against his opposition, I concealed my surname, joined the Knight Training Camp, and became a knight."
Hearing this, Galvin raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with sarcasm. "So that's your reason for later willingly selling your soul to a Demon?"
"Far from it." Lide shook his head, sinking into deeper memories. "After becoming a knight, I was assigned to an inconspicuous small town at the Border, guarding the area and recording Magical Creatures activity. Later, because my performance was acceptable, I was transferred to the Fifth Legion stationed at Shield River City."
"Back then, during the day I trained, patrolled, stood guard. At night, I used every opportunity to secretly investigate the details of that 'Desecration Incident' from years past."
"It was also that year, the harsh Winter Year known as the 'Wolf's Winter' descended. Famine swept the Kingdom. Piles of corpses left by refugees triggered a terrible plague. My father... that man with little magical talent, just an ordinary warrior, didn't survive it."
His voice remained calm, but Glenn's heart tightened.
"He left me with only a few sentences on his deathbed."
Glenn couldn't help but press, "What did he say?"
Lide's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, looking towards some distant place. "He said... the deity no longer responds to the prayers of the faithful."
Glenn's heart shook violently. He vaguely guessed something but still pressed further, "What does that mean? What exactly happened?"
Lide withdrew his gaze, looking at Glenn, and said calmly, "You don't want to know. If you want to know the truth, go take a look at the Forge Region in the Northern Territory. There, you will find everything you want to know, but the consequences are yours to bear."
"Ever since then, the Demon's hand gradually extended towards the Storm Territory, towards the Border Corps, the Royal Capital... The Sun Church showed no reaction, not even the symbol of royal authority, the 'Crown of Ignis,' was taken."
"I witnessed it all."
Arthur seemed to have recovered from the burning sensation in his chest. His hoarse voice rang out, "So when did you yield? For power? Status? Or wealth?"
Lide smiled. "Unfortunately, none of those."
"As I said at the beginning, Valentián, this is a cursed surname."
"Ever since the family witnessed certain 'events' that happened there and were forced to leave the Forge Region, a kind of spiritual corruption began to spread."
"These despairing thoughts, like muck, are transmitted and spread through blood, even the soul, from generation to generation. They gradually shatter a person's reason, ultimately erasing a person completely from within. This is also the truth of my father's death. He didn't die from the plague; he died from the complete exhaustion and collapse of his soul."
"When I discovered my body was beginning to show inexplicable signs of decay, that was eleven years ago."
"Even though by then, I had already stepped into the Extraordinary through my own efforts and talent, I still couldn't stop this decay originating from the soul."
"So, I handed over this soul, worthless as muck, to the Demon, in exchange for my continued survival. A very worthwhile trade, isn't it?"
The three fell silent for a moment, but Galvin still stepped forward. His eyes showed not a trace of wavering, his voice still cold and hard. "If you're trying to gain sympathy with this, or find an excuse for your own corruption, then you've miscalculated."
"I'm not interested in your so-called story, nor do I care about your cursed fate."
Having said that, he lowered his stance and charged forward. A cyan storm coiled around his knight's sword, emitting a sharp cry like an eagle's screech.
Every step was aided by the wind. The longsword sliced through the air, thrusting straight at Lide's throat.
Lide sighed softly. His figure swayed lightly, easily evading Galvin's seemingly certain strike. Then, the slender sword in his hand pointed at the inner side of Galvin's sword-wielding wrist from a tricky angle.
A shockwave of force transmitted. Galvin only felt his wrist go numb; his longsword nearly slipped from his grasp, and his offensive momentum instantly collapsed.
"I admire your character, Galvin. But truly stepping into the Extraordinary isn't that simple. You haven't found the path that completely belongs to you yet."
Right at that moment, Arthur also moved.
Before the frost had even receded, dark blue undead flames bloomed like flowers on the ground and began to burn.
He thrust out the sword in his hand, carrying both cold and scorching heat, attacking in seamless coordination with Galvin.
For a moment, sword light flew in all directions. Lide's figure, under the assault of the two, no longer wielded his slender sword as casually as before, beginning to seriously parry, dodge, and counterattack.
Surprisingly, Arthur seemed to possess some peculiar Combat Instinct, always able to predict some of Lide's subtle movements and provide effective restraint.
And Galvin, under Arthur's cover, was finally able to unleash even more ferocious power.
The coordination between the two grew increasingly seamless. They actually managed to temporarily hold off Lide's attacks. Although they were still at a disadvantage, they were no longer as helpless as at the beginning.
The two exchanged a glance amidst the fierce battle, seemingly understanding each other's thoughts. After crossing and swapping positions, Galvin deliberately retracted his sword-wielding right arm a fraction slower, exposing a gap in the armor at his ribs.
Lide's slender sword indeed transformed into a streak of silver light like a shark smelling blood, instantly thrusting straight at that opening.
"Now!"
Right at that moment, Arthur's longsword, carrying a biting frost, silently and stealthily thrust towards Lide's back.
However, at this critical juncture, Arthur's movements hesitated for an instant. It was as if his consciousness and body experienced a moment of dissonance, or as if something was pulling at him from within.
It was this minuscule instant. A flash of sharp light appeared in Lide's eyes. The slender sword originally thrusting towards Galvin's opening was retracted at an impossible angle. With a flick of his wrist, the blade of the slender sword bent and snapped like a spirit snake.
"Bang! Bang!"
Galvin and Arthur were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, sent flying backwards once more, landing on the ground even more disheveled than before.
A deep dent appeared in the chest armor of Galvin, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The Soulfire beneath Arthur's helmet also flickered violently once, as if impacted.
Lide stood in place, slowly sheathing his sword.
The speed and power he erupted with in that instant were completely different from before. It was a despair-inducing gap in strength.
Galvin struggled to half-kneel, wiping the blood from his mouth, and looked at Arthur beside him, asking in a low voice, "What's wrong with you today?"
Before Arthur could answer, Lide spoke for him, his voice calm yet exploding like thunder in both their ears:
"Haven't you realized it yet, Galvin?"
"Arthur, he is undergoing the Hero Trial."