Lord: I can see loyalty.

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard.

Vio sheathed his sword and hung his shield back on his waist, but did not leave.

He stood in the center of the courtyard, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

The airflow within the body begins to circulate slowly, not for a rapid burst of combat, but for a deeper and more sustained breathing, integrating the breath into the body.

This is something he learned while hunting sea creatures at sea.

Those sea creatures—reef dragons, armored sharks, and giant deep-sea squid—have no breathing techniques or sword skills, yet they are one with this world.

The sea is their domain, the waves are their power, and their power is greatly amplified wherever they are on their ocean.

Vio wondered, why can't humans do the same thing?

Once he reached the third level of his breathing technique, he was already able to feel the connection between his body and the world.

At the second tier, he could spread his aura and sense everything around him. What about the third tier? What can the third tier do?

He took a deep breath and slowly released the power that had just gathered within his body.

The air began to swirl around him, not with a fierce gale, but with a slow, heavy flow.

The air seemed to thicken, as if stirred by some invisible force.

The fallen leaves in the yard began to drift up, not blown by the wind, but drawn by the air currents swirling around Vio, slowly rotating.

Vio did not open his eyes, but continued to practice his breathing technique.

The airflow within the body became faster and stronger.

He compressed and condensed that power, and then released it suddenly!

"boom--!"

A deep, muffled thud echoed through the courtyard!

It couldn't have been an explosion; rather, it was caused by a sudden change in the surrounding air pressure. A visible shockwave spread outwards from Vio, causing pebbles on the ground to bounce and fallen leaves to be swept into the air.

A low humming sound came from the air, as if something was awakening.

Then, Vio sensed that the world around him had changed!

Although there were no major changes on the surface, he could clearly feel the difference in an area centered around Vio.

He could clearly feel the wind, the movement of every grain of dust, the footsteps of the patrolling soldiers outside the courtyard, and even the hustle and bustle of the streets outside the Earl's Castle.

Those sounds, those breaths, those vibrations—all flooded into his mind, as clear as if he had seen them with his own eyes.

He opened his eyes.

The sight before him startled even himself slightly.

Centered on him, the air within a radius of several feet visibly distorted.

Like a desert at midday in summer, the heat is intense, and the air becomes blurry and distorted, but this is not a heat wave, but rather the result of his overflowing power.

Within this distorted area, he could feel his senses being amplified several times over.

He could even feel that his speed, strength, and defense were being enhanced by this area.

This falls under... domain expansion?

An idea popped into Vio's mind.

It seems that the third stage of the breathing technique brings not just a simple increase in strength, but a qualitative change.

When breathing techniques are mastered to this level, the knight is no longer just a simple warrior, but can project his own power outward, forming his own "aura".

Within this aura, he was the sole ruler.

He tried to calm his breathing, and the distorted air gradually subsided, and the courtyard returned to peace.

But when he released it again, the aura reappeared, and it was more stable and solid than before.

"Let's call it... Knightly Aura," he muttered to himself after thinking for a moment.

Although the name wasn't imposing enough, it was straightforward enough. Besides, there was no record of it in the Kingdom of Rovia, and he didn't know how others called it.

He raised his head and walked towards the courtyard gate.

Vincent.

"Here." The captain of the guard appeared immediately.

"Go and invite Jimmy, Gina, Ansquie, and a few more captains of the Azure Peak Knights to the training ground."

Vincent paused for a moment, "Your Excellency, you mean...?"

"Tell them I want to try something new." Vio's lips curled up slightly.

On the training field, sunlight shone on the sand, reflecting a dazzling light.

Jimmy, Gina, Ansquie, and three elite captains of the Azure Peak Knights were already lined up and waiting.

They didn't know what the Count was going to do, but when they saw the new sword and shield at Vio's waist, a hint of curiosity flashed in their eyes.

"Your Excellency," Jimmy stepped forward, "What is this...?"

"I have already broken through to the third level of the breathing technique," Vio said bluntly.

Several people were stunned at the same time.

Third order? What does that even mean?

Gina and Jimmy are currently exploring the first level, and they understand the difficulty of learning the breathing technique, but the Earl has already reached the third level.

"Besides, I've learned something new." Vio drew his Demon Feather Sword, raised his Demon Feather Shield, and walked to the center of the training ground. "Come at me all at once."

Jimmy thought he'd misheard. "All at once?"

"Yes, let's all go together, and with all our might."

Jimmy and Ansquie exchanged glances, all seeing shock in each other's eyes.

But since the Earl has said so, he must have his reasons.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency."

Jimmy was the first to make a move.

His dune swordsmanship had reached the upper-level peak, and his sword was aimed straight at Vio's throat, both fast and ruthless.

Gina followed closely behind, her broadsword whistling as it slammed into Vio's side.

Ansquie and the three knight captains also attacked simultaneously, blocking all escape routes from almost different directions.

Five sword lights surged in from all directions, working in perfect unison, leaving almost no blind spots.

Even they couldn't imagine how the Count could win, so at this moment they were thinking about how not to hurt the Count.

But Vio did not dodge.

He took a deep breath and released the energy in his body with a sudden burst!

"boom--!"

An invisible sense of oppression exploded from his body, and the air within a radius of several feet around him suddenly distorted!

Jimmy felt an immense resistance rushing towards him, as if the sword's edge had pierced through water, causing his speed to suddenly decrease.

Gina's broadsword was held up by that force, as if it had hit cotton. Despite her superhuman strength, she couldn't exert any force at all!

Ansquie and the three knight captains fared even worse; they couldn't even get close to Vio before being pushed back by that force.

"What, what is this...?!" Jimmy's eyes widened.

He felt as if he were stuck in a quagmire, and every movement required several times the strength he usually did.

Vio stood calmly in front of him, as if nothing had happened.

Vio did not answer, but simply raised his shield to parry, his sword effortlessly deflecting Jimmy's blade.

Then, he took a step forward.

Just one step.

But as soon as he took that step, the oppressive feeling intensified. Jimmy felt a tightness in his chest and was jolted back several steps, almost falling over.

Gina was in even worse shape; her broadsword flew out of her hand and crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

Ansquie and the three captains were pushed to the edge of the training field, looking completely bewildered.

An unbelievable silence fell over the entire room.

Jimmy steadied himself, panting heavily, and looked at Vio with disbelief in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, what is this...?"

"This is the new thing in the third tier." Vio sheathed his sword and quickly dissipated his aura, instantly eliminating the oppressive feeling in the training ground. "To be precise, I call it, Knight's Aura."

"A knightly aura...?" Jimmy murmured repeatedly.

"Within this aura, my perception, speed, strength, and defense will be greatly enhanced, while the enemy..." He paused, "...generally speaking, should be suppressed."

Jimmy gasped.

This is no longer simply about "becoming stronger"; it's a qualitative change.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 are merely quantitative accumulations, ultimately resulting in slightly stronger knights. Tier 3, however, represents a qualitative leap, where the knight's aura becomes almost indistinguishable from magic!

"Then when we fight you in the future, won't we be unable to even win a single move?" Ansquie walked over with a wry smile, rubbing his arm that was numb from the shock.

Vio shook his head, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Once you reach the higher levels, you will start learning breathing techniques. When you reach the first and second levels, you will naturally have your own understanding."

"I just walked a little faster than you guys."

He spoke of it casually, but everyone knew that this difference was now worlds apart.

Gina silently picked up the broadsword, and a hint of something indescribable gleam appeared in her eyes as she looked at Vio.

She had always thought she was getting closer and closer to the Earl, but now she realized that the chasm had never shrunk.

Whether it's power or status...

"Gina." Vio seemed to notice something was wrong with her, came to Gina, and helped her up.

"I believe that with your talent, you will be the first to have an epiphany about breathing techniques."

Gina looked into Vio's sincere gaze but saw no comfort in it, as if those words were something that was bound to happen sooner or later.

The reason for this is that Vio's statement was not unfounded.

On the panel, Gina has already reached the "Beginner Level of Sand Breathing Technique", which means she has reached the same level as Vio at the beginning.

The opponent's top-notch swordsmanship talent was clearly not an exaggeration.

"Alright." Vio sheathed his Demon Feather Sword and hung his shield back at his waist. "That's enough for today's sparring."

He raised his head and looked towards the western border, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Next, it's time to settle accounts with Ulysses."

Jimmy and Ansque exchanged a glance and simultaneously knelt on one knee.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

On the training field, the sun was still shining brightly, but everyone knew that the final battle for the Western Frontier was about to begin.