People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

He also knew that Maria could not remain spotless forever, but at least until she came of age, Marna would protect her and shield her from these disgusting schemes and tricks.

Whether this trick came from the Business Federation or from the Supervisory Council, which seemed to be on his side as a "knightly nobleman."

The world is bustling with activity, all driven by profit; some chase fame, some pursue fortune. But in Marner's view...

What's the difference between a slave to money and a slave to honor?

Since freedom and unbridled spirit cannot be found in Kazimierz, the former knight-errant would rather be his own slave.

"So, please leave."

Marna forcibly pulled Maria's hand and drew her to his side.

"I will win, and then I will keep my promise to you."

Chapter 399 The Fierce Golden Lion vs. the Sword Master (Confirmed)

Kazimir, Great Knight Commander Kavaleriagi, Pegasus Arena.

"Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, new friends and old friends! I'm your Big Mouth Mob!"

"Welcome to the second match of the main tournament of the International Games! I'm sure you've all enjoyed the impressive figures of athletes from all over the world these past few days! And you must be wondering, and perhaps a little anxious, where is our Kazimierz? Yes, where is our Kazimierz?"

"Heroes of Kazimierz, where are you?"

On the commentary stage, Mob's expression was exaggerated, and his question seemed to genuinely carry anger and resentment.

As he questioned them, the gates on both sides of the Pegasus Arena burst open!

Yes, they're here!

"I believe that whether it's the loyal fans who bought tickets to watch the game live, or the fans who watch every episode on TV, they will definitely not feel unfamiliar with this person's name or her appearance!"

"That's right, let's welcome the legend of the Kazimierz Knights' Arena, the undefeated three-time champion, the born warrior, the Black Knight who reigns supreme in heaven and earth—Jian!"

A long and sustained cheer erupted from the stands, so loud, so long, and so many people cheering that even Ernst and Enciodes, who were sitting next to him, were shocked.

"Frenzy," Ernst later remarked of the scene.

That was a fanaticism that even Jeragand would have to say was "a bit too extreme."

The news of Black Knight Mace's return to the All Nations Tournament had actually been rumored to be leaked by "official spoilers" long before. But people finally breathed a sigh of relief when she actually walked out of the entrance, her long dark golden hair and her long-unseen black knight's attire reappearing in Kazimierz.

The meaning of this name in Kazimierz is self-evident; her appearance signifies victory!

Afterwards, according to incomplete statistics, within fifteen minutes of the Black Knight's appearance in the tournament, betting odds on the Black Knight across the entire Kazimierz betting market surged by more than ten percentage points.

These people who suddenly joined in and increased their bets were basically those who had given up on knight betting after the Black Knight retired back then.

If Jian herself heard this news, she would probably only give a helpless smile, a bittersweet feeling.

But now, every expression she makes must first be directed at the equally golden Pegasus standing to her side.

“Marna Linguang”.

"The Pegasus of the Nearl family, the uncle of the Radiant Knight, the second son of Cyril Nearl, the great war hero of Kazimierz!"

"A free-spirited knight, a carefree hero, a lone rider raiding an enemy camp, a knight of unparalleled brilliance!"

"A working-class slave, the strongest family hero of the Great Knights, the creator of the term 'Mabonan,' and an indispensable member of the three new-era Phantom Gods!"

Different people will have different opinions about him, and not all of them know the same Marner. Marner has always been the same; he is just exceptionally complex.

A person can choose between their country, society, family, and self to pursue their goals. But Mannes is someone who, no matter when or where, will always choose family.

In the glorious past described by that oversight council, focusing solely on family while neglecting the nation and society was considered narrow-minded.

In today's materialistic world, built by business associations, focusing solely on family and neglecting oneself, and refusing to be a sophisticated egoist, is considered hypocritical.

In both eras, Marner was an outcast.

So, in the past, he was a wandering knight who challenged the worldly order, doing as he pleased, yet could immediately shoulder the burden of his family. Now, he is a knight who bows and scrapes, seemingly subservient, yet can still raise his sword to defend his family.

Even though he never acknowledged the title of "knight," he certainly upheld his own code of chivalry. Upon learning of life's hardships, he neither hated nor flattered them, but rather reconciled with them.

Such a person is invincible.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds...

Even though the official start of the match had not yet been announced from the commentary booth, Marner's hand gripping the hilt was already gradually becoming familiar with that long-lost feeling.

22 seconds, which is now the fastest time he can regain his touch.

He wouldn't be so concerned with martial ethics; every second he stepped onto the field was torture for him. He wished that loud, noisy voice on the commentary stand would shout a few more words to buy him more time.

But he clearly underestimated his enemy.

The Black Knight never followed any rules.

"Let's thank the Kazimierz Business Federation and the Supervisory Committee for their strong support of this competition. Thank you... hey, you guys! Ahem!"

Mob's voice trembled suddenly as he watched the Black Knight, who had drawn his twin maces and charged towards Marna, let out a slightly hoarse scream. Fortunately, his professional commentary skills kicked in at that moment; he quickly got into character, letting out a loud roar to cover up the embarrassment of being interrupted.

"Oh my gosh! It seems our Black Knight can't wait any longer!"

"Yes, then let's fight!"

Without any unnecessary words, the Black Knight's expression after stepping onto the field was completely different from his confident and boastful demeanor off the field.

She was solemn and serious, her attention rapidly focusing on the enemy. She watched every opening in Marna's defenses, anticipating every possible moment Marna might suddenly swing her sword, and simultaneously outlining every possible countermeasure.

That's experience.

She could tell that Marner was unfamiliar with the game. He had an uncontrollable resistance and aversion to stepping onto the field. His tightly furrowed brows revealed not only his self-warning but also a deep-seated resentment and disgust towards the arena, the audience, and their gazes.

These emotions constrained Marner, leading him to harbor the foolish idea of ​​"solving the problem as quickly as possible."

For the Black Knight, these are all opportunities.

How many games do you think she has played, how many times she has been challenged on this field, and how many knights with similar feelings she has come to, seen, and conquered?

The enemy's trembling is also the food for this roused "golden lion"!

The Black Knight raised her right hand, and the mace, as if an extension of her body, another organ, swept towards Marna's waist at an eerie angle.

The waist is the hardest part of the body to defend. Its position is extremely awkward. Bending arms cannot exert 100% of their strength, and the legs are somewhat out of reach. Only weapons can help defend it.

Yes, weapons.

Almost the instant the Black Knight's mace swept towards his waist, Marna moved as well.

He had no choice but to move. The Black Knight's attack was fierce and powerful, and he wasn't wearing any protective armor. His only defense was the arm guard on his right hand, which was one of the mediums for unleashing Originium Arts in conjunction with his longsword.

But he was not afraid because of this.

Besides standing still, a simple exchange of blows is also a way to rediscover that familiar feeling.

Marna parried the Black Knight's mace with her sword, but the next second, the Black Knight's mace in his left hand also moved.

The mace struck Marner's shoulder.

"Clang—!" "Ugh!"

The crisp, loud clang of metal colliding rang out simultaneously with a muffled groan that made the man exhale a breath of stale air. The former signified the success of Marner's defensive strategy, while the latter indicated its failure.

"Double maces. These are the weapons I chose after leaving Kazimierz."

"According to the records left by the Business Federation, I should still be using that black greatsword, right?"

"That sword is broken, broken in the outskirts of Kazimir, broken in Xuan Tie's hands."

The Black Knight's gaze was disdainful, his tone indifferent.

"The one standing before you at this moment is not the Black Knight of Kazimierz, but the mace of Sherag."

"You'd better discard those outdated intelligence reports as soon as possible, Dark Knight."

The reason she had the leisure to say so much was because her mace had indeed hit Marner on the shoulder.

The left shoulder is unprotected by arm armor.

Jian has never been a simple brute. Simple brutes can't survive in Letania and Kazimierz. Only in places like Shelag can people who don't use their brains live happily.

You agree, Actus?

The mace has always been strategically disdainful of all the heroes in the world, while tactically giving them the highest level of attention.

Her strike, though not at full power, was still quite heavy. Even if it had landed on the full armor of those cowardly knights, it would have been enough to make those inside tremble, let alone when it struck their flesh and blood!

Marna's knees bent.

If the ground beneath his feet had not undergone special repairs and reinforcements, that blow would have been enough to leave a crater in the ground.

Half of his body was almost paralyzed; the excruciating pain was cut off before it even had a chance to strike. Even as Marner tried to regulate his breathing and quickly regain sensation in his left arm, he received very little response. The force of the blow was evident.

But Marna raised her head without any fear.

He looked at the mace, which, as its name suggests, was long and bladeless, with four edges.

She wasn't an outspoken person, but she pretended to be. Since mace techniques are considered similar to sword and saber techniques, when did she begin disguising her mace as a blade and presenting that illusion to others?

A smile suddenly appeared on Marner's lips.

While knightly competitions are dirty and disgusting, they certainly don't lack interesting and strong competitors.

“No…” Marna suddenly said.

Seeing the man straighten up again, as if nothing had happened, the solemnity on Jian's face deepened.

"what?"

“I said, don’t call me the Knight of No Light. I have not accepted any knightly title, nor am I a knightly nobleman worthy of ‘respect’.”

"Kasimir has no right to award me a medal."

Jian smirked and sneered, "Then who has it?"

"unmanned."

"How arrogant! After I defeat you, I will award you a medal for being a defeated opponent."

“Oh?” Marna raised the sword in his hand. “Then let’s give it a try.”

The 22 seconds had long since passed, and the blow had indeed interrupted the process of his slightly relaxed office worker muscles readjusting to the feeling, but her extra words made up for it well.

So, now.

"It's raining."

PS: After watching the plot: Teacher Te, Teacher Te, please take me away! You're the only true saint on this land. You believed when Big Te lied to you, you forgave others when they betrayed you, and you remembered when an assassin tried to kill you.

The Holy Mother has absolutely no flaws in terms of character, sigh.

On the contrary, the part where Teacher Da Te said to Teacher Xiao Te, "Take the Tower of Babel away, and I'll let you come back after the conflict subsides," really sounded like he was talking nonsense.

There was also the promise, "I will protect everything in Kazdel!", but less than two years later, it was "Lentinium is the future of Sarkaz!", and that was it.

The Doctor's characterization... well, he certainly lived up to the standard of being a bad seed rather than a third wheel. But it's still a bit hard to understand. The Doctor knew about the Preservators, even their alarm clocks, so why didn't he ever think to look for them while traveling or spending so many years in the Tower of Babel? He clearly cared so much about the previous civilization and was even chosen as the executor of Project Fireseed, but then, because his phone signal was temporarily down, he just assumed the person dialing was dead? It's hard to judge.

But anyway, it's all good. At least Teacher Te's character is firmly established, even if the price is Ascalon the Clown. Now we'll see how that uncle's anniversary leak about "the survival of civilization" is used to build up the story on the island.

Chapter 400: The loss wasn't ugly, the win wasn't bad.

"The mace has already gained the upper hand."

At least that's how Ensiodis sees it.

The so-called advantage is actually a very vague concept. The situation on the battlefield changes in an instant. One second you may be advancing triumphantly, and the situation may change hands in an instant. The next moment you may fall from heaven to the bottom.

Throughout history, those who boldly encourage their subordinates with the idea that "the advantage is in our hands" have rarely met a good end.

Therefore, when Ernst heard Ensiodes say this, his first reaction was neither agreement nor disagreement, but rather a silent pang of worry for the mace.

Is the mace strong?

Very strong.

Her title of "born warrior" was no empty boast. When fate closed the door to Originium Arts for her, it indeed opened the path to transcendent physical cultivation. Her talent was so astonishing that even the Ragnaros Ticaz, whose life span far exceeded that of ordinary people, was amazed by her. Ernst had envied Ensiodis more than once for having such a powerful bodyguard by his side.

The use of double maces is far superior to that of a greatsword.

In Ernst's previous life, there were people who were skilled in dual-wielding weapons and were famous for it. He Liangchen, a guerrilla general during the Jiajing period, recorded in his book "Zhen Ji" that "Bian Zhuangzi's striking method, Wang Ju's rising and falling method, Liu Bei's defensive method, Ma Mingwang's lightning method, and Ma Chao's striking method are all passed down." This shows that Xuande Gong's dual-sword defensive technique was not a fabrication.

In addition, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong, the two door gods of the Tang Dynasty, and Miyamoto Musashi, who was famous for his "Niten Ichi-ryu" style, were all known for wielding two weapons.