Cat Princess and Human Knight

Countess Amber nodded.

"Brave knight, I agree with all your ideas. As long as you are willing to issue the challenge, regardless of victory or defeat, my Shadowmoon Clan will accept it."

Countess Amber was well aware of the Ironthorn Knight's strength; he could be considered the foremost great knight of the Shattered Hills.

The strength of the cat knights is divided into three levels: bronze buckle, silver collar, and golden bell.

The Iron Thorn Knight's strength has reached the limit of the Silver Necklace, approaching that of the Golden Bell.

If the Ironthorn Knights cannot secure a victory, then none of the Iron Oak Marquis's knights can defeat the knights of the Lady of Huru.

The Marquis of Iron Oak thus lost his usefulness, and the Countess of Amber naturally didn't bother to waste any more words on him.

Countess Amber resumed her charming smile, gave a graceful curtsy, and left the tent with elegance.

This time, it was Marquis Iron Oak's turn to coldly curse "bitch," and he looked at Ironthorn Knight with concern, asking...

"You're too reckless! That's a human! How can you believe that human knight is a powerless mortal just because of a bitch's one-sided story?"

Ironthorn Knight shook his head.

"I have never believed this mother cat's words. The oath of the Shadowmoon Clan is a joke. What credibility does this Grand Duke's family, which started with lies and assassinations, have to swear oaths?"

"The reason I'm willing to go is because of what you said, Your Excellency Marquis. We should try, we should fight for it, because the soldiers guarding the border are our comrades."

Marquis Iron Oak let out a deep breath.

"You bastard..."

The Ironthorn Knight looked at the worried Marquis Iron Oak and laughed.

"Don't worry too much. You know my strength very well. I'm not so easy to kill."

Once I've tested the true strength of the Human Knight and given the Shadowmoon Clan an explanation, I'll immediately admit defeat.

If... I mean if, as the mother cat said, the other party is truly an empty shell without any power...

"Heh, Your Excellency Marquis, which knight could resist the glory and temptation of defeating humans? Those are merely legendary, man-slaying warriors."

Marquis Ironwood shook his head.

"Humans are not to be killed. If they are just ordinary people, remember to show mercy. If you beat the young ones, you'll offend the older ones and cause endless trouble in the future."

The Ironthorn Knight laughed.

"It's just a metaphor, please don't take it seriously."

---

When Yi Yin stepped onto the arena, he looked down upon all the other cats.

He didn't even bring any weapons or protective gear, and the Cat Knight's arena didn't have any suitable equipment for him. He just stood there wearing the silk robe left behind by Ilya.

"Knight Yiyin, under the command of the Lady of Huru, humbly requests your guidance!"

Apart from a few large cat breeds like the Maine Coon, most cat breeds are only thirty to fifty centimeters tall, making Yi Yin seem like a giant to them.

Even the most fearless cat knights appear weak and pitiful in front of humans, and the arena fell into silence.

Everyone wants to fight for honor, but which cat dares to fight a human head-on?

Those are humans, capable of anything from heaven to earth. In the eyes of the cat race, there is no real difference between humans and gods. When humans are powerful enough, they are beings that the cat race looks up to.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yi Yin stood in the middle of the field with his hands on his hips, even acting a bit like a show-off.

As Princess Sofia the Munchkin said, the cats' fear of humans runs deep in their bones.

These cat knights didn't dare to come out and fight at all. Yi Yin only needed to walk around the arena and show off, and that would be enough to complete his mission.

"If there aren't any more knight challenges, I'm leaving!"

After saying those polite words, the knight turned around, gave the far-sighted cat princess a thumbs up, and proudly prepared to leave.

Just then, a cat knight suddenly jumped into the arena, drew his sword, and struck his shield.

"Ironthorn, a knight under the command of Marquis Ironoak, requests your guidance!"

Yi Yin stood there dumbfounded. He slowly turned his head to look at the leopard cat, who had a serious expression and was less than half his height, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Looking at Sophia for help, Yi Yin saw that Sophia also looked surprised, and could only curse the cunning cat for ruining him!

Bell jumped up from his seat in a panic and asked in a low voice.

"What do we do? What do we do? How could a cat actually jump out and challenge humans? Those are humans! Is that cat knight out of his mind?"

Luna touched her injured leg and said solemnly.

"That's the Ironthorn Knight, one of the most powerful cat knights in the Shattered Hills, and a Silver Collar Knight whose strength is close to that of the Golden Bell. Lord Yiyin is in danger."

Damn it, Bale used his magic to heal my injury, and I've lost my eligibility to play.

"Your Excellency, what should we do now?"

Princess Sophia, the short-legged cat, stared blankly at the scene. She couldn't believe that there was a fearless cat knight who dared to challenge the human race, who were comparable to gods.

An idea flashed through her mind, and Sophia quickly turned around, looking at the countless blind spots and shadows behind her, as if countless eyes in the darkness were watching her every move.

"I understand, it's the Shadow Guard, the Regent's Shadow Guard. Those black cats have been monitoring the situation in Huru Territory."

Bell realized what was happening and said solemnly.

"So the other side knows Yi Yin is just a figurehead? Oh no! Under the Lady's command, immediately order Yi Yin to forfeit the match; we'll concede!"

Sofia clenched her fists, lowered her head, and frowned.

Should we give up? The knighting ceremony just now had already built up the atmosphere to an extremely high level.

As the saying goes, the higher you're praised, the harder you fall. If Yi Yin were to admit defeat now, everyone would know that Hu Lu Ling was just bluffing.

How will the Duke of Snowclaw view himself? How will the noble circles of the Shattered Hills laugh at him? Has the grand undertaking of restoring the royal family already ended in such a humiliating defeat before it has even begun?

Sofia closed her eyes in pain, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly.

"Go to the referee's stand and we concede."

Just as Sofia was determined to concede defeat and Bell was preparing to step down, the situation on the fighting field suddenly changed.

---

The Ironthorn Knight crouched low, concealing most of his body behind his shield, and carefully moved forward, his legs like compressed springs, ready to spring up at any moment.

He planned that if the knight opposite him was indeed an extraordinary human, he would immediately move backward at top speed and leave the arena to admit defeat as soon as the knight made a move.

But it seemed... the tall knight was very flustered, not like he was acting.

The Iron Thorn Knight slowly controlled the distance, advancing in an S-shape, trying to cut into the opponent's attack range on the side where the opponent might not be using their dominant left hand.

Instead of responding calmly, the knight opposite him kept retreating, slowly being forced to the wooden fence at the edge of the arena.

By this point, the Ironthorn Knight was beginning to believe Countess Amber's words; the human before him seemed to be just an ordinary mortal.

With his heart pounding, the Iron Thorn Knight decided to take the risk. His legs, which were taut like springs, suddenly gave way, and he thrust his sword towards the knight by the wooden fence.

---

Yi Yin had already braced himself against the wooden fence, his mind in turmoil, silently cursing the eighteenth generation of ancestors of the short-legged cat.

Suddenly, his vision blurred and the leopard cat disappeared from the scene, leaving only the sound of wind breaking in his ears.

Yi Yin instinctively ducked and dodged the Iron Thorn Knight's thrust with an extremely awkward roll.

The longsword pierced through the wooden fence behind him, startling Yi Yin so much that he broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if a hole had appeared in his body as well.

Seeing him in danger from afar, Bale was so frightened that he jumped off the platform and ran straight to the referee's table, shouting.

"The match is over! We concede..."

---

Just as Bear Grylls was about to concede defeat, a streak of silver light flashed across the clear blue sky, vying with the sun high in the sky for brilliance.

A silver light streaked across the sky, heading straight for the arena, before scattering into countless sparks.

Having rolled around in a disheveled state, Yi Yin, who had just gotten up from the ground, saw Ilya emerge from the silver light. It was as if he had seen a savior descend from the sky, and he was so moved that he almost cried.

Ilya's expression turned a little awkward. She raised her chin arrogantly and asked, pretending not to care.

Have you realized your mistake?

"Hmph, if you sincerely apologize to me, I'll reluctantly forgive you this time!"