Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 479 Winning the Loyalty of the Venturi Nobles

"I'm sure," the knight lord said firmly.

Thierry Vieira had no doubt about the Black Emperor's words.

Many nobles inside the palace understood their conversation and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

Thierry noticed Justin Watara's troubled expression and, combining the information about the Black Emperor in the data crystal with his observations over the past period, guessed that he was troubled by the inability to hold the important coming-of-age ceremony.

“The coming-of-age ceremony can still be held, but we can change the format.”

Justin asked thoughtfully, "In what form?"

“Your original coming-of-age ceremony was to step into a lava lake, fight monsters, and those who survived became true nobles.”

"There is no place to stand in the lava lake this year, but the battle can continue, just in a different form."

“Since the Ventrilian nobles enjoy dueling, why not have a noble ceremony duel as this year’s coming-of-age ceremony? I will also send the elite swordsmen of my battleband to participate in this grand event.”

Justin looked at the Shadow of Order opposite him, who possessed a superhuman physique, and spoke.

“In that case, it is indeed feasible, and they will be proud to have won the battle against the shadow of order.”

He didn't believe Thierry's prophecy, but he couldn't refuse it, and considering that the suggestion was indeed feasible, he agreed.

Two days later, Moon Choi-ryeon's coming-of-age ceremony was held as usual.

The consul spoke loudly from the reviewing stand.

"Distinguished gentlemen and ladies, and future nobles participating in the coming-of-age ceremony."

"Today, we will witness this moment in a completely new way."

"To commemorate Ventrilian becoming the King's territory, the 'Shadows of Order' have been invited to participate in a coming-of-age ceremony. The winner of the duel will be qualified to challenge the extraordinary swordsmen."

The noble boys and girls drew their swords, raised them high, and cheered enthusiastically.

Justin raised his gleaming sword high, then lowered it, and the nobles immediately ceased their cheers.

"A total of 14,800 people participated in this coming-of-age ceremony. Those who win five duels will become nobles and have the opportunity to duel with the great Shadow Warriors of Order."

Pierre Wright sat on the viewing platform, looking down at the candidates. He was also taken aback when he learned about the coming-of-age ceremony for the Ventrilian nobles.

The coming-of-age ceremony for Ventrilian nobles is as dangerous as the hunt for the Lord of Necromonda. Crossing the lava lake is already perilous, let alone fighting against the various dangerous monsters within.

Now he saw the noble boys and girls below, each of them physically strong.

The fine food and wine did not turn these nobles into fat men; each of them had clearly undergone long-term combat training.

[At most only 925 people eventually became nobles, which is a very strict standard.]

The pass rate is similar to that of the "Lava Lake Trial," the only difference being that those who fail the trial will not die.

Those who pass the test will be outstanding warriors. Although their age is not suitable for becoming legionary soldiers, they will be excellent auxiliary troops and the first batch of recruits for the "Ventrilian Noble Army".
While Pierre was pondering, Justin had already finished his speech.

Pierre looked down with great interest, his superhuman vision allowing him to take in the situation of all forty-five dueling rings at the same time.

He saw pairs of nobles, their right hands holding swords with their arms bent forward, the tips of the swords pointing diagonally to the ground, while their left hands touched their chests in a gesture of respect.

Pierre saw that some Venturi nobles were eager to charge, their thumbs and forefingers controlling the direction of their sword tips, while their middle, ring, and little fingers pressed firmly against the hilts.

While running, shift your weight between your feet, lean your body slightly forward, and be ready to launch a powerful attack at any moment.

The defending player holds their hand at a 45-degree angle with their palm facing outwards, and the blade is aimed at the direction of the incoming sword.

Swords clashed, and the young men and women fought fiercely, neither giving an inch.

They are well-trained and have practical experience.

Although they haven't developed a set of "Elvira" sword techniques like we Kasers have, it's not just for show; those who teach them are all quite skilled swordsmen.
As each sword duel ended, the victors stood tall and proud, while the losers looked ashen-faced.

After Justin announced the end of the first round of duels, he asked his attendants in a low voice in Ventrilian.

Upon learning that there were no signs of a volcanic eruption at the lava lake, he curled his lip and thought to himself.

[As expected, prophecies are so unreliable; there wasn't a single sign that the lava would erupt.]
For the past three days, Justin has been inquiring about the situation in the lava lake area every day, and the news he has received is that there are no abnormalities.

He and the Ventrilian nobles all believed that Thierry's prophecy would not come true.

On the fourth day of the duel, when the final winner of the fourth round was to be decided, a Ventrilian nobleman with a long sword at his waist suddenly rushed up to the high platform.

He first glanced at the Shadows of Order, then spoke to Justin.

"Governor, the lava lake where the coming-of-age ceremony was held has erupted."

"What?" Justin and the surrounding nobles exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide as they stared at the shadow of order.

Thierry calmly stated, "I have said before that a volcanic eruption was inevitable."

On the sixth day of the coming-of-age ceremony, the newly promoted nobles, who had won the right to fight against the "Shadow of Order," excitedly gathered around the dueling arena.

To enjoy today's battle, they all spent a lot of gems to restore their bodies to their best condition, and many even went so far as to purchase combat stimulants.

Not far away, Pierre, dressed in a black knight's uniform, spoke to his fellow warrior, who was also dressed in the same attire.

“You will use skill, the ‘Elvira Sword Technique,’ not strength and speed, to defeat the Ventrilian nobles. This is your training for today.” The hundred soldiers of the Third Company responded in unison, and Pierre then led his men into the training ground.

The nobles of Ventrilian immediately applauded. The unarmored Shadows of Order did not appear as imposing as before, but they enjoyed more reverence than they had a few days earlier.

The challenge began immediately. After injecting himself with a high-end combat stimulant obtained in exchange for eighty gems, the young Ventrilian nobleman felt a surge of power within him.

He shouted excitedly, wielding his heavy two-handed sword with one arm as he charged toward the shadow of order opposite him.

The Kaser Order Shadow calmly drew his longsword, infusing it with his meager psychic energy, causing the blade to ignite.

The sword, brimming with energy, was raised horizontally to parry the nobleman's swift attack.

He didn't continue applying force, but instead bent down from the left, then leaped up and slashed diagonally downwards from right to left.

The sword stopped above the nobleman's head, a flash of lightning, and several strands of hair fell down.

The young nobleman was stunned, as were the other Wen Cuilian nobles.

They never expected that Ventrilian's elite nobles would be defeated by pure swordsmanship in a single exchange.

Pierre watched as his warriors defeated the Venturi nobles in succession using the "Yovissa style" and the "Verabey style".

He then looked at the shocked nobles and spoke.

“Every Kasser has trained in swordsmanship since childhood. Before becoming the shadow of order, we have all undergone numerous trials. We have fought the Oglins in the Ape Man Galaxy and killed nameless, dangerous mutated creatures in the wrecked spaceships of Islington.”

"After becoming the shadow of order, we have experienced hundreds of battles, fighting to the death with the Randan aliens and the tenacious Skot people. Our combat experience is far beyond what you newly-adult nobles can compare to."

"Therefore, I suggest that you arrange for more people to participate. This will make the duel more interesting. Believe me, as a former nobleman, a nobleman of the Cather family similar to Ventrilian, I have no intention of disrespecting you."

Although Justin did not know exactly what the Eugens, Randans, and Skots were, he understood Pierre's meaning.

After a moment's thought, he announced loudly to the nobles.

"You can form your own teams and collectively challenge the shadow of order."

After suffering several crushing defeats, the Ventrilian nobles finally realized that the shadow of order could not be defeated alone.

Pierre discovers that the nobles quickly accept reality and begin to cooperate and form teams to challenge the shadow of order.

They were no longer as disheveled as before and were able to hold their own against the elite swordsmen for a while.

Pierre looked at his lord, and both of them read the same meaning in each other's eyes.

The Venturilian nobles value honor, but are not vain.

Pierre, as the final person, accepted the challenge from fourteen of the best Ventrilian swordsmen.

The nobles of Venturilian had a clear division of labor; five nobles, like arrows, charged ahead of Pierre.

Four men from each flank charged toward Pierre, while the strongest swordsmen lay in ambush behind, waiting for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

Pierre drew his longsword, letting the blade blaze fiercely.

Having recently been promoted to "Weapon Master," he has unlocked the full potential of the psionic longsword.

Pierre swung his longsword, drawing an "8" shape in the air.

The "Weapon Master" moved swiftly, swinging his longsword almost simultaneously, outlining burning patterns, and using the "Gansorian Style" to block five ancestral dueling swords thrusting at him.

Eight noblemen and women, injected with combat stimulants, roared in unison and launched a joint attack on the shadow of order.

The "weapon master" remained calm and composed, flicking his wrist.

The psionic longsword was like an extension of his body, swinging diagonally left and right to parry.

dang dang...

Amid a series of impacts, the "Weapon Master" deflected the attacks with "Usa Style" and "Reverse Usa Style".

Baron Vatara, seeing that everyone else had been repelled one after another, knew he had to seize his only chance.

He plunged the family's treasured combat potion into his neck, his eyes gleaming, and gripped his ancestral sword, swiftly charging towards the shadow of order.

The next moment, his eyes were illuminated by an even brighter light.

A dazzling light rushed towards him in an instant.

Before Baron Vatar could even react, his ancestral sword was knocked away, and the gleaming longsword came to rest in front of him with a crackling sound.

The threat of death chilled him to the bone, yet the surging power within him made him feel hot.

Baron Vatar suppressed the power within him, restrained the fear in his heart, and tried his best to look ahead through the dazzling light.

The "Weapon Master" controlled the power of Death Strike with ease, causing the power of "Erka-style" to dissipate.

Justin, pale-faced, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that his successor was unharmed, and hastily announced the end of the challenge.

In the subsequent detailed negotiations, the Ventrilian nobles abandoned any further bargaining and accepted all the demands put forward by the "Shadow of Order".

Thierry knew that he had won the loyalty of the Venturilian nobles.

(End of this chapter)