Chapter 44: On the Brink
Xu Bai’s heart trembled slightly upon hearing Lin Yan’s words.
“Me?… A close friend?”
Would she be considered a close friend, regardless of which “me” she was?
Almost unconsciously, Xu Bai’s hand reached for the dagger Lin Yan had given her, tucked behind her back.
Her fingers brushed against another object, a small dagger—the Knight’s dagger, a symbol of her past, a memory she tried to avoid.
“…A good friend… a comrade-in-arms…”
Lin Yan’s words echoed in her mind, and Xu Bai’s eyes flickered, her grip on the dagger tightening.
The banquet hall was in chaos. Most of the nobles huddled in the corners, trembling, but several powerful auras stirred among them.
Xu Bai suddenly understood why Uncle Lin had insisted on bringing her along.
Knowing part of the truth, he had understood that this banquet, for both Lin Yan and Glaimond, was a trap.
It was a banquet destined for bloodshed. Whether she was present or not, the hidden powerful auras and the Demon Hunters meant violence was inevitable.
The conspiracy surrounding Glaimond was unfolding, and Uncle Lin had been unable to prevent Lin Yan from being caught in it.
Perhaps he had hoped that her presence, a suspected demon or Demon Hunter, could change something…
“Good. Very good. Excellent. It seems I must cleanse the Knights of its traitors, for His Majesty,” Glaimond said, his tone laced with malice. The recent string of unexpected events had frustrated him, tempting him to use his trump card.
He had waited so long, his meticulously crafted plan disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, the deviations accumulating beyond repair.
Salred, the Demon Hunters’ covert team, the unknown demon commander from the Abyss, the suspected demon juvenile “Bai,” and the unseen hand manipulating events from the shadows…
Vikarn Port had become the eye of the storm.
Glaimond finally admitted that perhaps his plan had been flawed from the start.
The image of Lugner’s aged, resolute face flashed through his mind, his dying expression one of serene acceptance.
From the moment he had followed Lugner to Vikarn Port, coveting his position, from the moment he had raised his blade against him, he had fallen into Lugner’s trap, a carefully orchestrated game, a whirlpool he couldn’t escape.
Glaimond looked around. He was the host of this banquet, yet no one stood by his side.
The Demon Hunters watched coldly, their weapons aimed at the beautiful gray-haired demon, but their vigilance remained on him.
Several powerful auras were hidden among the nobles, their gazes fixed on him with undisguised scrutiny.
“Fortunately, I still have this…”
Glaimond touched the unassuming ring on his finger, the source of his fragment of the Imperial Authority.
Humans had limits. Their frail bodies couldn’t contain the full power of “Authority.” Only by mastering it could they ascend to the pinnacle of power on Solor—Calamity Class.
The positions of the Empire’s Legendary Knights were vessels for this inherited Authority, allowing humans to wield power comparable to demon commanders.
But the ring Glaimond possessed wasn’t just a vessel; it contained something more…
“A relic of the ancient empire… if I could obtain more, more…”
Glaimond suspected this was why the Demon Hunters had sent a team to Vikarn Port. This place, once territory of the ancient empire, must hold more powerful artifacts like his ring.
“Commander Lugner, why wouldn’t you tell me… instead of letting these powerful weapons fall into the hands of Demon Hunters, why not give them to me? Is it wrong for me to want to make the Empire great again?”
But Lugner would never tell him. He would carry his knowledge and his despair to his grave.
“Very well… then let’s start with you, Lin Yan.”
Glaimond looked at Lin Yan, drawing his sword, his psychic energy flickering. “Your opponent is Glaimond, Commander of the Eastern Front.”
Lin Yan’s expression hardened. A flash of red light, and a heavy spear materialized in her grasp, its tip aimed at Glaimond.
“Your opponent is Lin Yan, of the Garrison Knights.”
Glaimond had issued a formal challenge, adhering to knightly etiquette, and she responded in kind. This was a duel.
“Your sword is inferior. It’s not a fair fight,” Lin Yan said, looking at Glaimond’s standard-issue longsword.
A duel had its rules, including the use of comparable weapons.
“No, it’s fair. You’re using your favored spear, and I’m using my familiar longsword,” Glaimond replied calmly. “I’ve faced many formidable opponents with this sword, and I’ve never lost.”
“What a coincidence. So have I,” Lin Yan smiled suddenly. “But I’ve also lost.”
Glaimond paused, then realized who she had lost to.
Fortunately, he was dead.
Lin Yan raised her spear slightly, assuming a charging stance.
At the same time, her skin flushed crimson, her eyes bloodshot, her heart pounding loudly, echoing through the hall.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
[Bloodfire Ascension]
A secret technique passed down through the Lin family, originating from the ancient empire.
By accelerating blood flow and heart rate through psychic circuits, the user gained superhuman speed and strength, as if empowered by a deity.
However, due to the limitations of the human body, this state couldn’t be maintained for long and caused permanent damage to the heart.
Even with Lin Yan’s enhanced physique, she could only maintain it for about ten minutes.
But ten minutes… was enough.
Facing the transformed Lin Yan, Glaimond’s expression turned serious. He raised his sword, his psychic circuits flowing.
“Come. Show me the strength that earned you Lugner’s recognition, Miss Lin.”
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