Lord: I can see loyalty.

Chapter 258 The Black Serpent and Golden Horse Knight!

"Malcolm!"

Cyril of the Black Serpent family shouted, his face looking rather grim, revealing a hint of worry.

Although the Black Serpent family and the Golden Saddle family were not in a cooperative relationship and even had minor conflicts of interest, this did not prevent Cyril and Malcolm from being close friends who had made their acquaintance on the battlefield.

Now that his best friend has almost died at the hands of these "Southern Rebels," how could he not be furious?

He spurred his horse toward Malcolm in Golden Horse City, but was stopped by Vio and Alec, who were between the two.

"The Black Serpent Clan, huh? — They've arrived just in time." Alec frowned slightly, raised his greatsword, his muscles tense, ready to strike at any moment.

Cyril quickly reined in his horse and glanced at Vio and the other two, but his initial anger and worry turned into shock!

Two Grand Knights, two Fourth-Order Grand Knights!

There are two fourth-tier Grand Knights in the Southern Territory. This is not just a rumor; in fact, it's possible that the news of four Grand Knights in the Southern Territory is true!

"Damn it—" Cyril turned around abruptly and shouted to the Black Serpent Knights behind him, "Knights! Defend Golden Horse City and obey the orders of the Golden Saddle Horse family for now!"

"These two rebel leaders—I'll deal with them myself!"

Vio looked at Cyril on horseback, his eyes flashing with light, and the panel appeared.

Name: Cyril Black Serpent

Race: Human

Age: 37

[Faction: Grand Knight of the Black Serpent Clan, Eldest Son of the Black Serpent Clan]

Hobbies: Drinking, dueling, swordsmanship

【Features: Poison sword, poison resistance, versatile moves, adept at ambushes, advanced basic swordsmanship, advanced Black Serpent Swordsmanship, level 3 Black Serpent Breathing Technique】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

[State: Anger, Fear, Observation, Thinking]

Vio, a third-tier Grand Knight, pondered as he drew his sword.

Clearly, the great knights who have mastered the breathing technique have different stages of bottlenecks, the most obvious being when they first enter the first rank, and later when they break through from the third rank to the fourth rank.

Breaking through from the beginner level to the first level requires not only various rare materials, but more importantly, a certain amount of talent and insight. If one cannot gain insight, one will be stuck at the beginner level for life and unable to break through.

The third to fourth tiers require even rarer materials such as "Dragon Scale Magic Stone" and "Dragon Blood Grass," which are almost impossible for ordinary people to obtain.

This is why, in the past few centuries, only five fourth-tier Grand Knights have appeared in the Kingdom of Rovia.

Besides Vio, Alec, and Cedric, there were two others: the long-deceased [Legendary Fifth-Order Grand Knight] and [First Warrior of the North]—

The old Earl of the Hammer family.

And also the fourth-tier Grand Knight, who had also died, and was the former leader of the Sword Tail Flower Knights.

Cyril the Black Serpent did not wait any longer.

He spurred his horse forward, drawing his longsword. The blade gleamed with a dark green light in the sunlight—the unique luster of the Black Serpent Sword Technique, which was poisoned and deadly, killing silently upon contact with blood.

His target was Vio; in his eyes, the key was to capture the leader first. If he could take down the Earl of the South, he would have won half the battle.

"Stop him!" Alec raised his sword to meet him, slashing horizontally, but Cyril nimbly ducked and dodged, then slashed at Alec's waist with his own sword.

Alec raised his shield to block, and with a clang, sparks flew everywhere.

Cyril's sword was extremely fast. If he missed his first strike, he immediately withdrew and retreated to create distance.

Instead of engaging Alec in close combat, he circled around and continued his attack on Vio.

Vio did not retreat, but simply drew his Demon Feather Sword, and his knightly aura slowly unfolded.

He didn't unleash his full power; he simply concentrated his aura around his body, like an invisible armor.

At the same time, he gestured behind him, and Jimmy and Gina charged out from both sides!

"Your Excellency, we are late!"

Jimmy was covered in blood, but his eyes shone brightly. Gina had already appeared beside him, her broadsword dragging on the ground, carving a shallow furrow.

The four stood side by side, facing Cyril and Malcolm, who was getting up from the ground.

Before the city gate, Malcolm leaned on his greatsword, panting heavily, his body covered in wounds, but his eyes remained bright.

He looked at Cyril and saw his comrade standing up for him. He took a deep breath, gripped his greatsword, and stood up abruptly.

He's still alive, he can still fight, and he can't let his friend face two fourth-tier Grand Knights—four Grand Knights—alone!

"Malcolm!" Cyril roared, "You're still injured—"

"He won't die!" Malcolm charged into the arena, sweeping his greatsword and forcing back Alec, who was about to pursue Cyril.

His movements were noticeably slower than before, and his wounds were still bleeding, but his strength remained terrifying.

The greatsword clashed with Alec's greatsword, sparks flying. Both men took a half step back, Malcolm panting heavily as he stood beside Cyril.

Alec had figured out Malcolm's fighting style. His Golden Horse Sword Technique was all about overwhelming force and wide, sweeping attacks, but Malcolm was seriously injured and his strength was greatly reduced, making him no match for him at all.

But Cyril is different; the Black Serpent Sword Technique is unpredictable and he hasn't figured it out yet.

Jimmy's longsword pierced Malcolm's back, while Gina's broadsword whistled through the air as it struck his side.

The three attacked a heavily wounded second-tier archknight, and the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Malcolm desperately tried to block, but his strength was far less than before. Jimmy's sword was as fast as lightning, Gina's sword was as heavy as Mount Tai, and Alec's sword was as steady as a mountain—in less than ten moves, he was forced into a corner, covered in blood, and almost dropped his greatsword.

"Damn it—" Malcolm gritted his teeth, staring intently at the three figures in front of him. He knew he couldn't hold on much longer, but his friends were still fighting, and he couldn't fall.

Meanwhile, the duel between Vio and Cyril has also reached a fever pitch.

Cyril's sword was as fast as a viper, each thrust cunning and ruthless, but Vio was even faster.

The Gravel Breathing Technique is known for its speed; after reaching the fourth level, his speed became so fast that Cyril could hardly keep up.

Cyril's sword came at Vio, who dodged to the side. Cyril's sword swept horizontally, and Vio raised his shield to block. Cyril's sword slashed upwards, and Vio took a step back.

After a few moves, Cyril couldn't even touch Vio's clothes.

Cyril's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

He knew that the fourth rank was strong, but he did not expect it to be this strong. His Black Serpent Breathing Technique was also based on speed, but his speed could not keep up at all. His sword could not pierce him, and his venom could not touch Vio!

If this continues, he will lose sooner or later.

"You are no match for me," Vio said calmly.

Cyril did not answer, but gripped his longsword tighter, the eerie green venom on the blade becoming even more concentrated.

He took a deep breath and lunged at Vio, his longsword aimed straight at Vio's face!

Vio dodged to the side, then swung his sword at Cyril's neck. Cyril ducked to avoid the attack, then rolled away to create distance.

He half-squatted on the ground, panting heavily, his eyes filled with even greater shock.

He clearly hit the target with that sword strike, but Vio was too fast; his sword only struck an afterimage.

He raised his head, looked at Vio, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

His sword became even darker, and the eerie green venom on the blade spread out, releasing a cloud of green mist that rushed towards him!

"Whoosh—!" The blade, carrying a poisonous mist, enveloped Vio. This was a secret poison technique passed down by the Black Serpent family, making it impossible for enemies to defend against.

Cyril stood up, a slight smile playing on his lips. "So what if you're a fourth-tier Grand Knight? How long can you last after being poisoned by me?"

""

However, a moment later, the poisonous fog dissipated, but Vio remained standing in the same spot.

His skin was covered with a faint purple halo, which was the "poison" left by Cyril.

The poisonous mist had seeped into his body, yet he felt no ill effects. Cyril's pupils constricted sharply: "Impossible!"

"I told you, you're no match for me. Your poison can't keep up with the recovery speed of my breathing technique." Vio slowly raised the Demon Feather Sword. "Now, it's my turn."

On the main battlefield, the Black Serpent Clan's reinforcements and the Southern Territory's army have reached a stalemate.

Although the Black Serpent family's knights were elite, the Azure Peak Knights and the Giant Whale Knights of the Southern Territory were not to be underestimated.

The three armies fought fiercely on the plain in front of Jinma City, and none of them gained an advantage.

Cyril knew he had to deal with Vio as soon as possible, otherwise the Black Serpent Clan's reinforcements would be worn down sooner or later, but he knew very well that he was no match for Vio.