Chapter 314: Chapter 49: She Wants to Beat Me to My Knees and Make Star Fury Power

Even under the Law of a Celestial God, which prevented those of the Legendary Celestial Rank from fighting airborne, they flitted about the Gale Heart like bolts of lightning.

Both of them possessed incredible regenerative abilities, so they couldn’t even be bothered to dodge non-lethal, minor wounds. Rather than passively parrying and defending, they both favored a frenzied offense. Armed with two T0 abilities, Withered Glory Sun and Cursed Source Blood, Westheid had long been accustomed to trading wounds, yet he never expected Mephit to be his equal in this regard.

Stabbed, slashed, torn, elbowed... Despite the heavy blows she took, the blue-haired maiden merely faltered for an instant. In the next moment, a hazy, white-iron halo would flash, and all her wounds would heal completely.

’She’s even more ridiculous than Westheid!’

’You’re right, but this is Riding God Steel Will! It deals high true damage, its auto-attacks have bonus effects, and it registers multiple hits! It’s supposed to be an attack buff, but it automatically functions as a healing aura! The cost is a negligible amount of Spiritual Power, the cooldown is virtually nonexistent, and its charged, high-multiplier Light Cannon is just... AHHHHHH!’

Mephit was even in the mood to lower her eyelids, murmuring ecstatically:

"So painful... Wonderful, truly wonderful. More... Let me feel your passion and your will to fight! Ruin me! Ravage me! Don’t hold back!"

’Holy shit! This extreme playstyle is blowing my mind!’

Westheid felt nothing but contempt for the blue-haired maiden’s mental state. What he found even more pathetic was...

He was actually getting hard.

’Well, since he was getting off on it too, he couldn’t exactly call Mephit a pervert.’

Westheid could only follow his instincts, unleashing his full power in a fierce assault on Mephit.

It looked like a methodical duel, lacking the world-shattering grandeur of collapsing heavens and rending earth. But one had to be in the thick of it to truly understand the terrifying power unleashed with every brief clash.

Fortunately, both the Silver Sword, blessed by the Riding God, and the tachi of the Great Demon were indestructible and could withstand a punishment that should not exist in the Mortal World.

There was no need for flashy techniques; it was a simple contest of strength. Whoever had the higher and purer energy output would gain the upper hand.

’No skill, all stats!’

While Westheid and Mephit were locked in their bitter struggle, the other battles were also reaching a fever pitch.

Compared to Mephit’s heaven-defying compatibility, the other Steel Will Guardians weren’t nearly as monstrous. The heart left behind in the Capital by the Yonglan Riding God was essentially a Sacred Artifact, and the Blood of the Riding God was merely a byproduct.

They had merely gained a temporary buff called Riding God Steel Will, but even among wielders of Steel Will, there was a world of difference!

Those with lower compatibility likely couldn’t match Mivana’s command of "Steel Will," as she had awakened the Soul of Steel Will.

And that was indeed the case. Despite it being a two-on-one fight, the two Grand Knights teaming up against Mivana were getting utterly thrashed and were soaked in sweat.

Their Silver Swords, imbued with Steel Will, were supposed to be especially effective against Beastmen. But they couldn’t even dream of landing a blow on the Lady Knight with her superb Swordsmanship. Even on the one or two occasions they managed to wound Mivana, the damage was negligible.

’The impact didn’t feel like striking flesh and blood at all. Was this Beastman’s body made of Divine Steel?!’

The Wolf-eared Maiden only needed a moment to lick her wound before she could dive back into the fierce battle. Her fighting style was completely alien to the Grand Knights of Gale Heart.

On the surface, she used the most classic of knightly techniques, yet the silent way she swung her sword revealed a cold, bloodthirsty wildness. Fighting Mivana reminded the Grand Knights of their childhoods, of the perils of battling savage beasts in the wild. Her relentless, lethal attacks and cold killing intent meant they couldn’t relax for a single moment.

"Seniors... is this all the strength you have?"

To the Steel Will Guardians, Mivana’s calm voice was the ultimate mockery.

Lai Wu immediately sliced off a section of his golden ponytail and said with a laugh:

"Hahaha, as expected of the student Viona risked her life to protect! You’re really something else. Just how much did you learn from Viona? Enough to look down on your teacher’s peers with such ease."

"Teacher Viona did indeed teach me many things, but my power at this moment is not one of them... My current strength is a gift from Teacher West."

Mivana shook her head gently and said:

"Seniors, I know you still have your reservations about me. You don’t like mongrels who aren’t pure-blooded humans. I can understand that arrogance... but you are weaker than I am, so your opinions don’t matter. Once I defeat you, the power to define what is ’right’ will be in our hands."

"You’ll submit whether you like it or not."

"Heh, now that sounds like one of the Yonglan People! Try and take this!"

With a low roar, Lai Wu charged at Mivana again. Her golden eyes turned scarlet, yet they held no trace of madness—only extreme indifference and resolve.

Just as Lai Wu charged before her, Mivana erupted with inconceivable speed and, in the blink of an eye, seized his face.

"AWOOOO—"

A clear wolf’s howl echoed through the sky. A purplish-black phantom descended along with Mivana’s crushing blow.

With a blast of snow and dust, Lai Wu’s body was slammed into the ground, his bones shattered.

Mivana gazed coldly at the blood-coughing Lai Wu before stomping down and shattering his sternum. The Talent of the Cursed Source Blood took effect; the Yonglan Grand Knight’s regenerative power was completely unable to overcome the trauma, trapping him in an endless cycle of bleeding and healing.

With one opponent brutally dispatched, the defeat of the remaining Steel Will Guardian was only a matter of time.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Reiya’s battle was on a whole other level.

The Silver-haired Princess felt no kinship with the Yonglan Knights. In her eyes, West was undertaking a great mission, and any enemy who dared to stand in the way of her beloved deserved to be ruthlessly annihilated.

Her tactics were just as clean and decisive. Her Thundercloud Incarnation made it nearly impossible for the Grand Knights to even get close to her. Her form flickered in and out of sight within the Thundercloud, the White-haired Dragon Lady’s mobility completely overwhelming her opponents.

Amidst the roiling Thundercloud, one pure Dragon Thunder Spear after another was hurled.

Sunlight Spear! Sunlight Spear! And another Sunlight Spear!

’Compared to Mivana’s fight, which at least had some technical skill, Reiya had clearly learned Westheid’s virtues well: technique is an impurity, and the cheesy, ranged-spam playstyle is the one true god!’

The relentless barrage of Dragon Thunder was making the two Grand Knights facing Reiya feel like they were about to have an aneurysm.

They couldn’t catch her if they chased. They couldn’t block her attacks. They absolutely had to dodge. And they couldn’t land a single hit.

’Even with the Blood of the Riding God flowing through our veins, there’s nothing to be done against an opponent like this. It’s just too cheap! Does this thing even need a nerf?’

"This overwhelming pressure... It puts an old man like me to shame. If all True Dragons fight like this, I have no idea how the ancestors of the Empire ever managed to defeat them." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Anhexius was the only one able to return fire with his Great Bow, loosing volleys of arrows wreathed in Steel Intent Entanglement while dodging the Dragon Thunder.

But this was merely a desperate struggle. Anyone could see that as their strength waned and their opponent’s grew, defeat was only a matter of time.

Even a knight of his composure and grace couldn’t resist a subtle taunt. He did not fear defeat, but such a suffocating loss left no outlet for his knightly passion.

’Stop! This isn’t an honorable battle at all!’

Reiya did not reply. She simply continued to coldly channel her Dragon Thunder, awaiting the victory that was hers.

Just then, a tremendous crash echoed from the distance.

"BOOM—"

Everyone on the battlefield turned toward the sound. In a clearing where dust and snow had just exploded outward, the one hailed as king was on one knee, his throat gripped by the blue-haired maiden before him. His tachi, Shadow-Born, had fallen from his grasp.

"West!"

"Teacher West!"

Mivana and Reiya cried out in alarm.

The members of the Pilgrimage Army who witnessed this were even more incredulous, stammering in shock:

"Duke Qinghui!"

"Is a Grand Knight from the Zitherheart Clan that powerful?"

"The gap between Lady Mephit and the others is just too wide..."

"Our Pilgrimage... are we going to lose?!"

"Don’t panic! There’s still a chance! He’s just at a disadvantage!"

Only the Qinghui Guard mourned as if they’d lost their parents, wailing like faggots whose toes had been stepped on. Because they understood Westheid’s Charm all too well, they cried out in anguish:

"That... that woman forced His Majesty to his knees!"

"She’s going to turn His Majesty into her sex slave!"