Imperial Crown.

Chapter 241: Death Without Surrender
I am very grateful to the Qidian boss [碧落清簪] for the reward of 11500 Qidian coins. (I have no drafts left, I will add more later)
……

In the arena, the spectators were discussing enthusiastically.

"Have you heard that the kid from the Griffith family has become a transcendent?"

"Yeah? Really?"

"Of course it's true. I guess they didn't want to embarrass themselves, so they rushed it."

"Then it looks like this will be another victory. The Griffith family really treats people as fools."

"Everyone knows that the first two games of Westbrook were fake. Unless Batum, his opponent in this game, doesn't want to be famous, he probably won't accept the money."

"Tsk, that's a pity! I actually really hope that Weisdon can win this game, and it would be best if he keeps winning so that everyone can see the "miracle" of a first-level extraordinary person making it to the finals!"

Baron Vissaxin heard all of this, and he folded his arms across his chest and sneered.

These people really forgot that this competition was held for Raven's wedding.

According to the tradition of the Nord Province, the champion of this competition must be from the Griffith family. This should be an unspoken understanding among all the nobles.

But Visasi did not want to remind them, and even he himself was deliberately forgetting it.

Raven created and promoted the Sky Eagle Platform, pushing his influence to a new high; now, because of the Sky Eagle Platform, an originally ordinary competition conference has become a carnival for all the nobles in the entire Nord Province!
In the process, the Griffith family gradually exposed its weak and lacking foundation.

Today's game will further tear apart the Griffith family's glamorous shell.

If Weston bribes his opponent to win again, the Griffith family will be in an increasingly difficult situation.

If Visdon suffered a humiliating defeat, the previous speculation about a fixed match would be confirmed, and the Griffith family would be nailed to the pillar of shame and ridiculed for ten or even dozens of years!

"You deserve it, Raven!" Visasi smiled gloatingly.

In contrast, Judra's emotions were more complicated.

On the one hand, he was happy to see the Griffith family suffer a setback and to see Raven in a disgraced state.

But he couldn't be happy about the current situation - if Raven was devastated by such a ridiculous reason, then what would happen to himself who had always been suppressed by Raven?
"Stupid fat pig!" Judra gritted her teeth.

Viscount John frowned. He had a good impression of Raven, and this kind of scene was not what he wanted to see.

If the knights from Mansa County were to face off against Visdon in this battle, Viscount John would even take the initiative to arrange a fake match to help Visdon pass.

Because in his opinion, letting the main knight win the crown is itself a kind of etiquette in line with aristocratic status.

But nowadays, there are very few nobles like him.

Amid the discussion among the crowd, today's competition meeting began. The opening dance, which usually attracted cheers, received a mediocre response.

Ingra looked worried, but she still started hosting in a professional manner:
"This competition held to celebrate the marriage between the Griffith family and the Fox family has reached the third round."

"Today's first match will be between the First Order Blood Knight Vesdon from the Griffith family and—"

"Batum, the first-rank ice knight from the mountainous territory of Cambrian County!!"

Even though everyone was reminded that the purpose of this competition was to celebrate Raven's wedding, when Visdon came on stage, there was still a thunderous booing in the stadium.

Visdon walked out slowly from behind the fence. He had lowered his armor so that no one could tell what he was thinking.

Unlike the first time, he put on a relatively plain-looking full-body plate armor. It was light blue in color and had a thick texture. Although there were no signs of enchantment, it was obviously not an ordinary armor. On his right arm that was cut off at the root, there was a triangular shield, which could not only balance the body but also be used as a weapon when necessary.

"Misty Iron Armor!" Hyde, who was sitting on the high platform, was slightly surprised.

Faced with the boos and malice from the audience, even though Visdon was mentally prepared, he still inevitably began to get stage fright.

My head was dizzy, my hands were numb, and my stomach was churning.

Just then, a low cry of surprise came from the audience seats.

Weisdon looked up and saw Raven, Nancy and Denise walking into the arena together and sitting in the exclusive area of ​​the Griffith family.

"Raven... He didn't hide in the box and came here in person!" Versacim did not hide his disdain: "How much do you love this brother!?"

"That's too unwise." Viscount John frowned, "That shouldn't be the case. That shouldn't be the case."

Judra didn't say much, because if it were him, it would be the same. No matter how much criticism he received, it would be worth it to be with Denise.

Raven didn't care about other people's eyes. After he sat down, he smiled and nodded slightly to Visdon.

Weisdon knew the significance of Raven's presence in the arena - it was to share the pressure with him.

Once he loses, the greatest malice will not be directed at him, but at Raven.

This is Raven demonstrating to Visdon with practical actions, telling him how a man should shoulder his due responsibilities and obligations!
"I won't let you down!"

Weisdong took a deep breath and put all distracting thoughts behind him.

Walking step by step towards the center of the field, he also got a clear look at the appearance of his opponent, the Batum Cavaliers.

The knight was wearing a set of enchanted plate armor that looked a bit old. Although it emitted magical light, the light was a bit mottled, and it was obvious that it had gradually become ineffective over time.

Visdon himself is already very strong. At the age of 17, he is 1 meters tall and weighs 85 pounds. Batum looks even stronger than him, and his weapon is also a 240-meter-long enchanted spear!

The two men walked to the center of the field and bumped their weapons against each other.

It should have been just a polite interaction, but Visdon felt a huge force coming, almost knocking the sword in his hand to the ground.

This is beyond etiquette!

"Oh, you have some skills." Batum snorted in surprise: "Boy, you'd better give up your weapon and admit defeat now, otherwise, your delicate skin will be in trouble."

The corner of Weisdong's mouth twitched: "...The one who loses today may not be me!"

This sounded like a joke to Batum, and he did laugh.

But Weisdon was extremely serious.

After being scolded by Raven, he took the God-given potion that night.

The awakening process was extremely painful, like having his bones pulled out of his body and then put back together.

Weisdon did not become proud or self-pitying because of this.

He knew that everyone who became extraordinary would experience this kind of pain, but this process made him more sober and truly realize the weight and meaning of the words "You are not the center of the world."

This is also a process of removing the extraordinary and mysterious aura from Weisdon's heart.

So what if I'm extraordinary? Now, I'm also a first-level extraordinary!
What's more, his brother and his mother were also sitting at the stage.

Those who looked down on him, belittled him, and insulted him were sitting on the sidelines!
He must not lose this game!

The two of them stood 20 meters apart with their backs to each other. Then, Ingra's voice was heard:
"The duel begins!!"

Visdon spread his legs, slightly bent his legs, drew the long sword from his waist and held it diagonally in front of him to protect himself.

Batum's pupils shrank slightly as he recognized that this was the standard Imperial Knights' infantry combat posture, and it was extremely standard.

It seems that Weisdon is not as incompetent as rumored.

But so what? He had just become extraordinary after all!
Batum moved forward with steady steps, showing extremely solid basic skills. Although he was walking on flat ground, he felt like he was riding a horse.

"This is definitely not a fake match!"

"Hey, is Visdon scared? Master! Move!"

"Tsk, I made a bet, saying that Weisdong could last three rounds, but it looks like he can't even hold on for a moment!"

Just as the onlookers were discussing, Batum had already rushed to a place not far in front of Vesdon, with light blue fighting spirit infused into his spear. Batum held the spear with both hands, lowered his waist and exerted force, pulling and pushing, and the spear was like a python coming out of a cave, carrying white mist and heading straight for Vesdon's face!
Visdon had already concentrated all his energy, raised the sword with his left hand and slashed to the right!

Shine——

The fighting spirit intertwined and burst out, blue and blood blended together, and Visdon used the recoil force to leap to the right. After landing, he bent his knees to accumulate strength slightly, and the whole person rushed towards Batum like an arrow!
The audience thought that Weisdon would be defeated directly by this blow, but they didn't expect that not only was he not injured, but he was also able to take the opportunity to counterattack!

Even Ingra was stunned for a moment. After a brief pause, he said excitedly: "Precise timing!" "The long sword has a disadvantage in attack distance against the long spear. Weisdong lacks his right arm and has no advantage in strength, so he did not choose to fight hard, but to use the force to maneuver and shorten the distance between the two sides!"

Courage is never the same as recklessness.

The moment Visdon decided to step onto the court, he was fully prepared. Not only did he make himself extraordinary, he also analyzed Batum's combat habits through channels such as the Sky Eagle platform.

In other words, Batum's first offensive method, including how to respond, had already been rehearsed by Weston.

Careful preparation paid off!

Tum did not expect Visdon to respond in this way. When he came to his senses, Visdon had already raised his sword and was running towards him like a mad boar!

Batum drew his gun and blocked.

when--

After being strengthened by Raven and promoted to a transcendent level, Visdon became extremely strong. With his full-strength stab, the steel spear in Batum's hand bent visibly.

Batum only felt his arms going numb, and his legs, which were originally standing still, were pushed by the force, leaving two deep grooves on the ground.

Vesdon put away his sword and was about to chop him on the head again, but Batum saw the opportunity, raised his right leg, and kicked Vesdon out fiercely!
There was an uproar.

"I, am I seeing right?! Just now, Vesdon almost hurt Batum!?"

"If Visdon hadn't been missing an arm, Batum would have been in real danger."

"It's a fake match, it must be a fake match again! I can see it. The first two performances were not good. This time they found a good actor!"

Various discussions began to arise, in a chaotic mess. Batum could not hear every one of them clearly, but he could catch the occasional insults shouted at him.

At this moment, Visdon had stood up straight and rushed towards Batum again.

To be fair, this is a very reasonable tactic. The spear must be used at a distance, and Visdon can only minimize the difference between the two sides by fighting in close combat.

But the more this happened, the angrier Batum became - he was just a playboy, he should just lie down obediently!
He took a deep breath, and suddenly shouted loudly, pressing down the spear. A layer of ice shell like a real substance condensed on the spear tip. Then he pressed down with his right hand, and the spear tip suddenly rose up, heading straight for Visdon's lower abdomen!

"The first-level combat skill, piercing ice explosion, transfers the cold air into the opponent's body and detonates it. You can't take it head-on!" Ingra, who was supposed to maintain a fair stance, was no longer explaining, but giving a reminder!
Even though the spear tip hadn't arrived yet, Visdon had already felt the chill. He exerted force with his right foot, leaving a shallow pit on the ground. His body, which was originally charging, suddenly dodged to the left, brushing past the spear tip, but a mark of ice condensed on his armor!
But this is not the end. In a rage, Batum drew back his spear and thrust it out again, with the tip of the spear pointing straight towards Veston's chest!

He had barely dodged before, and this time, Visdon only had time to block slightly with the sword in his hand, and then the cold spear tip hit the armor and pierced into his right shoulder!

First there was intense pain, followed by cold numbness!

Batum drew out his spear, and a ball of solid ice exploded on Visdon's shoulder, sealing his wound and wrapping half of his chest!
"Heh, the armor produced by the Griffith family is indeed excellent." Batum snorted coldly. If the misty iron armor was not strong enough, this shot would have penetrated Vesdon: "What a pity for you!"

He turned around and walked slowly to the edge of the field.

Although there were some twists and turns in the process, the battle was over and Visdon no longer had the ability to fight.

But at this moment, he heard more and more shouts, someone was calling his name - it didn't sound like they were celebrating his victory.

Batum looked back with a little confusion.

What he didn't know yet was that the scene he saw when he looked back this time would be enough to make him remember it for the rest of his life.

Visdon bit the sword with his teeth, bloody fighting spirit burst out from his hands, grasped the ice on his shoulder, and was trying hard to pull it out of his body!
cold--

It’s so cold!

Visdon thought of the battle on Bloody Hill where he had served as a pioneer.

He and his soldiers faced a tide of horse bandits.

At that time, he was not yet extraordinary, and could only watch his comrades die tragically and then flee in panic!
His blood was as cold then as it is now.

Do you want to admit defeat?

Seek comfort from your mother, encouragement from your brother, and tell him that he has done well enough?
No, never!
"no way!!!!"

The fighting spirit on his palm surged, and the ice crystal on his shoulder shattered, rolling to the ground with sticky blood. As the fighting spirit circulated, a blood arrow with icy chips suddenly spurted out from the wound on his shoulder.

He hasn't lost yet, he still has a life to fight for!
“Visdon!!” Denise, who was standing in the spectator booth, shouted with tears in her eyes: “Enough, stop!!”

Her voice was drowned out by the arena, and she turned to Raven: "Admit defeat, let Visdon admit defeat, declare him defeated!"

Raven's face was solemn: "No."

"But Visdon is going to die!"

"Letting him come down now would really kill him!"

But Visdon in the field could not hear the conversation. He could no longer hear any sound. He just held the sword in his hand, exerted all his strength to mobilize his fighting spirit, and charged towards Batum!

His shoulders were covered in blood, his eyes were red, and his hands were burning with bloody fighting spirit.

If I were to describe it in four words, it would be -

See death as home!

"Are all the Griffith family members crazy? If he does this, even if he wins, he will have to stay in bed for half a month!"

"Fixed match, he really did fake match before?! Would a person like this fake match!?"

"Batum! Damn him, don't lose, I bet 3 gold coins on you!"

The shouts became louder and louder, but the two people on the field had no intention of paying attention.

As Visdon rushed closer and closer, Batum gritted his teeth, condensed ice on his spear, and then suddenly stabbed out, creating another piercing ice explosion!
In his opinion, Visdon could only dodge and that was all he could do; and once the momentum was released, he could still secure the victory!

But to his surprise, Visdon suddenly turned his body sideways and pointed his right shoulder shield at the tip of the gun!
Shine——

The gun blade pierced into the shield half an inch. Even though the shield was wrapped in bloody fighting spirit, it still couldn't withstand this powerful attack. The blood seeped out and was frozen, and the ice suddenly burst out!
The wound on the inside of the shoulder was squeezed into a cloud of blood due to the pressure!
But Weston did not stop. He howled and roared, still moving forward!

It's like betting with your own life!

If his shoulder shield could not block it, the spear would penetrate his shoulder and pierce into his chest, destroying his internal organs completely. Even Archbishop Thomas himself would not be able to save him!
Batum growled, exerted force with his arms, and burst out with fighting spirit, pushing the spear forward!

If you want to die, I will grant your wish!
However, the next moment he realized something was wrong. The triangular shield was incredibly strong. The enchanted spear could only pierce it but could not pose much threat to the inner layer of armor.

As Visdon roared with all his might, the gun barrel made of fine steel slid out of Batum's gauntlet little by little, emitting bursts of sparks!
"Impossible, impossible!"

Batum's palms were becoming more and more sore. Even though he used his ice qi to reinforce the spear in his hand, he could not avoid the collapse of the ice and the spear shaft slipped backwards!

His right arm suddenly contracted, and the severe pain made Batum howl.

The tendons in his right arm were broken!
The spear flew out of his hand and fell sideways to the ground. Batum was horrified to see that the triangular shield with the Griffith family emblem was getting bigger and clearer.

It was imprinted heavily on his face!
There was a sound of bones breaking, and Batum's eyes went dark, followed by the world spinning around him, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

When he came to his senses, his ears were filled with shouts. Someone was calling his name, but more people, led by Ingra, were calling out for Visdon.

He struggled to sit up, only to feel a stuffiness in his chest and a fishy and salty smell of blood in his mouth and nose. When he opened his mouth, several broken teeth and blood spurted out, clanging in his helmet.

The figure of Visdon appeared not far in front of him, staggering, his body covered with dirt and blood. It was obvious that he had just stood up, and he was holding a blood-red sword in his hand.

The ice on his shoulders solidified again, his face was too pale to look like a living person, his eyelids drooped, but his eyes still held cold persistence and a desire for victory.

A chill rose in Batum's heart, and he suddenly realized that if he continued to fight, he would definitely die!
Glancing at the spear in the distance, he swallowed, took off his helmet and threw it on the ground, hissing, "I... give up!!"

Won?

Weisdon was stunned for a moment, and an inexplicable feeling rose from his heart, a feeling he had never tasted before.

The taste of victory!
After saying this, he turned to Raven, raised his sword high, and shouted with all his might:

"Griffith"

"No surrender, no death!!!"

……

(End of this chapter)