Imperial Crown.

Chapter 584 Youthful Spirit Cannot Be Regenerated
Lezson was encased in thick aura armor, resembling a luminous steel behemoth from a distance. Holding a large sword in both hands, he leaped down from the griffin, the aura emanating from the swords stretching over a meter long. His movements were agile, and his aura was overwhelming.

Most of the azure ice spikes aimed at him were shattered by his longsword, with only a few occasionally slipping through and striking his battle aura armor, producing crackling sounds. But this only elicited a few muffled groans from Lezson. His expression remained unchanged as he continued his downward slash towards Magd's head.

Clang clang boom
The clanging of swords clashing was barely audible before it was drowned out by the violent explosion caused by the clash of fighting spirits.

"Hmph!" "Raven is quite generous to you bunch of bastards!"

Lezson glanced at Magd, who was flying away, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, followed by a sour look as he roared. Relying on his third-tier cultivation and the momentum of his descent from the sky, he had thought that even if he couldn't kill Magd, he could at least destroy her weapon. In fact, although Magd was sent flying and rolled on the ground like a tumbleweed, she didn't suffer any real damage.

Clearly, Magd's armor was of exceptional quality, and even her weapon was likely an enchanted artifact! At the very least, it was enchanted with the [Sturdy] attribute.

Magde got up from the ground, leaned forward, and spread her legs apart, one in front of the other, slightly bent. "I want to live with dignity, like a human being," she said, "not like a pig or a dog."

"what?"

Leedsson clearly didn't understand the sentence and frowned slightly. He stood ramrod straight, his left hand behind his back, holding a knife in one hand, pointing diagonally to the ground. He exuded an aura of unwavering composure and calmness.

Leedsson, of course, wouldn't understand. How could someone who hadn't truly experienced that kind of "utter darkness," that feeling of being "worse than pigs and dogs," that "cries for help go unanswered," possibly comprehend the depths of darkness within this seemingly prosperous empire? When his father, tears welling in his eyes, walked home naked through the freezing snow, knelt on the ground without any dignity or self-respect, and roared those words with heart-wrenching force, those words took root in Magd's young heart, enough to be etched into his memory for a lifetime.

"kill!"

Magd's battle aura shifted again, changing from azure to pale cyan. His heavy, sturdy armor, which had previously been imposing, leaving craters in the ground with every step, now seemed incredibly light, allowing Magd to swiftly strike Lezson and deliver a powerful thrust! In fact, Lezson was only half right; Marquis Raven had indeed been kind to him. However, the enchanted weapon in his hand wasn't a gift from Marquis Raven! Instead, he had used his merit points in the Orc Empire to have the dwarves Sohei and Bowell re-enchant his weapon! Even the storm-like combat skill he was using now, [Swift Foot], was a second-tier skill his father, Koru, had purchased for him with over a decade's worth of savings! It had absolutely nothing to do with Marquis Raven. Therefore, Magd's presence here today wasn't solely for Marquis Raven, but more for himself and his father! So that my family will never again be stripped naked, stripped of their dignity, stripped of their self-respect, and forced to live like pigs and dogs in the hands of other nobles!
However, to be fair, Magd's divinely bestowed potion and his most valuable armor were actually gifts from Marquis Raven. For that reason alone, he would never betray the Marquis!

After all, for the poor, the bottom line is always—there must be a reward for their actions, and there's no room for failure. Even something as expensive and with no guarantee of success as the divinely bestowed potion was something Koru couldn't bear to part with. Only after Magd was certain of awakening as a transcendent being would his father, Koru, dare to gamble his entire fortune to purchase combat techniques for him!

In just a short while, Magd and Lezson had exchanged dozens of blows. Although they were both in a sorry state, neither could gain the upper hand.

"The Soul-Severing Abyss!"

Perhaps fed up with the fight, Lezson finally unleashed his combat technique. As his greatsword slashed down, streaks of silver light suddenly appeared, growing larger with each strike, engulfing Magd. He hadn't originally intended to use his technique, but unfortunately, Raven's group of extraordinary beings were proving incredibly difficult to deal with. Any further delay might lead to unforeseen circumstances.

The silver halo was incredibly domineering; the moment it appeared, it descended eerily from the sky, locking onto Magd and binding him completely. He tried to struggle, but more silver halos followed, one after another, binding him securely. Magd's expression changed drastically, but then Lezson's greatsword came crashing down towards his wide-open chest!
"Oh no!" Magde shouted in alarm!

The next moment, seemingly confirming his guess, with a clang, the blade of energy cleaved through his armor, tearing his skin open and causing blood to gush out. He was sent flying like a cannonball, rolling to the ground, his fate unknown.

Lezson, expressionless, was about to turn and check on Magd's fate when he let out a soft "Hmm?" and turned back. In the darkness, three silver wheels, each the size of a three-month-old disc, hurtled towards him! Lezson's face paled in horror; someone had ambushed him! "Beast!" Lezson cursed angrily, swinging his longsword and destroying one of the silver wheels. However, two more remained, one slashing towards his left arm, the other towards his left leg. Fortunately, his battle armor was still intact, and the two silver wheels only embedded themselves deeply, merely cutting a few bits of flesh.

hum!
A long spear suddenly shot out from the darkness like a javelin, powerful and forceful. Having just destroyed the moon wheel with his longsword and distracted by the impact of the other two, Lezson had no time to react and was struck in the abdomen, flying through the air. His battle armor flickered, lasting only half a minute before collapsing with a snap. He hurriedly got to his feet and ran back to where he had been. But it was too late! Magd, who should have been lying on the ground like a dead dog, had vanished. Clearly, he had been rescued by his companions.

Reluctantly, Lezson climbed onto the hippogriff and circled the area several times, but still found nothing, so he could only fly towards the city.

"You're being too reckless!"

After Pip saw the other person leave, he waited a while before getting up from the ground and turning Magd over as well. In truth, he couldn't have gone far, let alone taken Magd with him. He found a dark corner nearby, lay down, and pretended to be dead, thus escaping unscathed. The chaotic military camp outside the city provided them with excellent cover. The reason Magd was being targeted was because she had been killing people.

Magde never dreamed that the one who saved him would be Pip, an outsider he had never gotten along with. Upon hearing this, he spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed, "Damn it, you didn't kill enough."

“Your eldest brother Thor came too.” “Sigh,” Pip said, shaking his head as he tended to Magdale’s chest wound. “I have a feeling that what we’re doing is actually wrong.” Magdale’s injuries were quite serious. Pip first gave him a healing potion, then began to remove Magdale’s armor. He then took off Magdale’s clothes, tore them into strips, and carefully wrapped and bandaged them.

“So what if I’m right? So what if I’m wrong?” Magd winced in pain. “You saw it today too, even the fifth-tier dragon Zolzahn couldn’t escape death! It’s clear that Habs and Ferdinand never intended for the Marquis to live.” “Are we just going to sit and wait to die like the Marquis?” Suddenly removing her armor and clothes in the freezing night, Magd’s nose quickly became stuffy. “I once read a sentence in a book.” “It said that youthful spirit is a non-renewable thing.” “Now, reflecting on it again,” “I am filled with many emotions.”

Pip sighed softly, unsure of what to say.

“I have an idea, are you up for it, brother?” Magde asked with a smile.

Pip seemed to sense something and licked his lips. "I already used my combat skills to save you, and I can only use [Radiant Reincarnation] two or three more times."

“I think that’s enough.” Magd struggled to his feet. “This is a war of life and death. It’s not a game of make-believe. Each generation has its own responsibilities.”

Pip followed his gaze, which was towards the city walls. His eyes lit up immediately. "You want to go and seize the magic crystal cannon?"

“Exactly.” Magd nodded.

“Let’s go.” Pip drew his longsword.

The two of them circled around like this, killing many enemy soldiers along the way. After exchanging their armor with the enemy, they finally made their way to the city wall.

"What a pity about my armor," Pip said with some regret.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Magd asked, puzzled. "Nothing, let's go," Pip said, unwilling to elaborate. Actually, the armor was forged by Pip's father, Junason, through embezzlement of his position and the use of Misty Iron. Only the chest section was reinforced, yet it had already saved Pip's life multiple times. But now, to successfully seize the Magic Crystal Cannon, he had to abandon it. Otherwise, the armor's design would be too conspicuous, immediately revealing its true nature.

"stop!"

When they were still a few hundred meters away from the magic crystal cannon, the two were stopped.

Pip, without a word, drew his longsword and swiftly dispatched the four ordinary soldiers in front of him, then led Magd towards the magic crystal cannon.

The guardians of the magic crystal cannon were no longer ordinary soldiers, but four second-tier transcendents. Instantly, their bodies shone with battle aura as they charged towards Pip and Magdalene.

"The moonlight revolves!"

Pip unleashed his combat technique, a wide-range technique most effective on the narrow city wall passage! Magd, standing nearby, also used his ice technique, and while the others were defending themselves, his ice spikes instantly claimed the lives of three. Only one remained alive. After letting out two shouts, Pip stepped forward and finished him off with a single sword strike. Although it was their first time working together, the two were remarkably in sync.

"Hurry up, I'll protect you!" Pip shouted.

Although the two men succeeded, the last one had sounded an alarm before dying, and many people were rushing towards them. Both men knew that their success was so easy because, firstly, the two dragons had caused immense destruction, throwing the enemy camp into chaos; and secondly, the enemy hadn't expected anyone to be hiding on the dragons and dared to launch a counterattack. This allowed the two men to seize the opportunity.

"Buy me two shots." Magd searched the fallen soldiers for magic crystals and magic cores, quickly went to the magic crystal cannon, and began loading! Although he knew he would die, two shots would be worth it.

"kill!"

Pip roared and charged towards the surging enemy troops. Battle aura filled every pore of his body, and his radiance was as dazzling as a furnace. He stood alone at the corner of the city wall, displaying an aura of unparalleled strength. Often, with a single swing of his sword, an enemy soldier would fall. Blood splattered, limbs flew everywhere; the battle was so fierce it darkened the heavens and earth.

shhhhhh

Enchanted arrows kept flying out. Even Pip's previous Misty Iron Armor wouldn't be able to withstand these arrows enchanted with the [Extreme Sharpness] attribute, let alone ordinary enemy leather armor. He was quickly struck by several arrows, screaming in pain and forced to retreat continuously!

Boom——

Finally, the sound of a magic crystal cannon echoed from behind. A crimson light, like the rising sun, blazed forth. The third-tier Fiery Magic Core, enhanced by the magic crystal and magical runes, unleashed an indescribable, terrifying power! Beautiful, flickering orange-red flames spread out, engulfing everything in sight! A single shot was no less powerful than a young dragon's breath! The military camp outside the city once again resounded with endless screams of agony. It was truly like a living hell. At least another 2-3000 casualties!

"Fuck you!"

Pip glanced down at the city walls, quite satisfied with the power of the magic crystal cannon. Blood trickling from his mouth, he laughed loudly, "Brothers!" "Give me a shot too!"

"Wow"

Upon hearing this, the enemy troops who had originally intended to swarm forward immediately retreated in panic.

"What are you afraid of!" "The magic crystal cannon won't start for a while!" "Kill them!"

One of the centurions roared, his anger rising.

"what--"

But Magd didn't hesitate. With all his might, he single-handedly turned the incredibly heavy magic crystal cannon around, aiming it at Pip's direction. His chest was already covered in crimson blood; the wound was bleeding profusely. He was destined to die soon.

Staring at the dark muzzle of the cannon, even the centurion who had just roared couldn't help but twitch his face.

"Come on!" "Weren't you fearless?!" Magd shouted. He was stalling for time.

scoff!

A ghostly figure appeared behind Magd, and with a single slash, Magd's head flew into the air. Blood gushed from her neck like a fountain.

"I knew you wouldn't give up and would show up again," Lezson's voice rang out calmly. He glanced coldly at Magd's head, then leaped up, taking advantage of Pip's momentary lapse in attention, and kicked Pip off the city wall. He then pointed at Pip and said, "Arrest him!"

The crowd rushed forward and immediately locked Pip up with the Demon-Sealing Steel Shackles.

"Any accomplices?!" Lezson approached Pip, slapped him hard across the face, and demanded sharply.

"No, no." Pip seemed to be terrified, or perhaps stunned by the blow, shaking his head repeatedly as his body trembled.

……

(End of this chapter)