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The Port of Cagliari
Just as Ryo was about to step onto a speedboat, he spotted Erica and Liliana standing at the pier, waiting for him. He let out a sigh.
"I thought I told you two to rest. What are you doing here?"
Erica's face lit up with a sunny smile. "A knight and her king are inseparable. Surely you agree, don't you?"
"I just… I was worried, that's all…"
Beside her, Liliana fidgeted with her fingers, cheeks slightly pink.
Ryo shook his head in defeat. "Fine, do what you want."
He turned to Salvatore Doni. "Mind having two more spectators?"
"Not at all, bro!"
Wearing his sunglasses, short sleeves, and flared pants like some beach bum, Doni laughed and slapped Ryo on the shoulder. "As long as you don't mind, it's all good."
Then he turned toward Erica with a strange look. "Wait a second. You're that Knight… what was it, Alisa?"
"I'm Erica Blandelli of the Copper-Black Cross. We've met before, Lord Salvatore."
Her smile was polite, but anyone paying close attention could see the stiffness behind it.
"Eh, close enough." Doni scratched his head and gestured at the yacht's bridge. "By the way, me and my bro here were just worrying that no one knew how to pilot this thing. Any of you girls?"
"I have a license," Erica said, then glanced at Ryo. "But, my king, this yacht…?"
The duel between Ryo and Doni was supposed to be top secret. Even the two of them had only learned of Ryo's location after questioning Athena.
So who had prepared the yacht?
"There." Ryo jerked his chin toward the sea.
Erica turned—and saw a group of young men and women bobbing miserably in the water.
Stolen? Of course. Exactly the kind of gorilla logic Doni would use… Erica's expression turned wry.
"Don't sweat the small details!"
Doni laughed heartily, then looked at Liliana. "And you, Elia, you said you could drive this thing too, right? Hop aboard."
"I'm Liliana Kranjcar, of the Bronze-Black Cross, Sir Salvatore. And no—I did not say that."
Liliana's reply was awkward and stiff.
"Ah, sorry! The two names are too much alike, hahaha!" Doni scratched his head again, laughing.
Ryo could only sigh at Doni's legendary inability to remember people's names. "Just get on board. We're heading for an uninhabited island near Sardinia. Don't worry, we'll hold back… a little."
Erica and Liliana exchanged a glance, then climbed aboard and immediately busied themselves in the cockpit.
Once the yacht was underway, Doni plopped into a chair on the deck, grinning. "Hey bro, you into those two knights?"
"A bit." Ryo gave him a skeptical look, almost surprised Doni even understood the concept of liking someone.
"Then they're yours. Oh right, weren't they supposed to be my subordinates?"
He clearly had little memory of either girl, just the vague notion that they worked under him.
Ryo raised an eyebrow, then leaned back on a lounge chair. "Thanks. I'll take them."
In the magical world, shifting allegiances was a big deal. When a society changed its liege, it often meant splitting up territory as well.
In effect, Doni had just handed Ryo a slice of Italian influence.
It was an incredibly generous move… though of course, Doni only did it because he didn't care about territories at all.
For once, Doni's carefree grin faded. He leaned forward, eyes serious. "Bro, you've trained with a sword, haven't you? I can feel the edge in your hands."
"I have."
Ryo's answer carried a note of surprise. He had indeed been honing swordsmanship—specifically, the sacred sword of the Capricorn Gold Saint.
A technique that pushed the body to its cosmic limits, forging the limbs into a blade capable of cutting down planets.
Ryo was still far from mastering it. He hadn't even reached the prototype stage, but he'd grasped enough to start.
What surprised him was that Doni could sense it at all.
The art of the Sacred Sword was subtle—honed flesh disguised as ordinary limbs. Even those with cosmos might miss it.
Yet Doni had seen through.
"You're wondering how I knew, right?" Doni smirked. "It's the smell. My Ripping Silver Arm has the same scent."
"I see. The Silver Hand that can make any object, from a sword to a toothpick, into an invincible sword."
Ryo nodded in understanding.
Doni's title as the King of Swords came from seizing that power from the Heretic God Nuadha.
And the Invincible Sword was a sword that could cut through anything and everything, rivalling even the Excalibur of legend.
Ryo, on the other hand, possessed the Sixth Familiar of the Fourth Primogenitor—Virgo Hektos, the Rainbow Flames of the Dark Princess—whose rainbow-colored sword of light could cut through anything, even the cause and effect.
It resembled the image of the completed Excalibur Sacred Sword, so Ryo had tried weaving it into his hands before.
So that's what he sensed… Ryo gave a quiet chuckle. "You want to cross blades?"
"Of course!" Doni's grin widened. "Among our kind, only that Small Hag and you have ever trained with swords. I already fought her, learned a lot. Now I want a match with you."
"The Small Hag… you mean Luo Hao?"
Ryo raised his brows, then smiled. "Surprised you managed to walk away from her."
"Eh, it was just sparring." Doni rubbed his nose and laughed. "We don't get much fun in our lives. Stirring up trouble now and then, it keeps things lively."
Campiones rarely bore grudges. Most of the time, they even admired one another. Actual death matches were vanishingly rare.
"Of course, old man Voban is different. He hates anyone touching his prey. He would go crazy for it. But if you just want a spar, he won't mind."
Doni chuckled. "And I can already tell—you're planning to challenge every Campione out there, just like me. When it comes to Voban, expect him to hound you for years, the same way he did me."
'So I can use sparring as an excuse to challenge them all? Not bad. But Voban chasing me forever? Is he into men or something?' Ryo frowned. "Pretty sure he only hates you because you stole his prey."
Marquis Voban—Sasha Dejansdal Voban. Four years ago he held a god-summoning ritual, only for Doni to swoop in and kill the god first. The two had been at odds ever since.
And yes, that one was squarely Doni's fault.
"Hahaha! I just happened to drop by when he was summoning. Couldn't resist!"
Rather than ashamed, Doni puffed up with pride. "Snatching prey from the old man and living to tell the tale—that's a thrill like no other. He chased me for ages afterward."
"He must not have been serious," Ryo guessed.
"Nah. He was just throwing a fit. Probably worried I'd lash out if he went all-in. Never tried to kill me for real."
"So yeah, it's nothing. Take what you want. No big deal, hahaha!"
Still laughing, Doni suddenly narrowed his eyes. Ahead, an uninhabited island had appeared on the horizon.
"Looks like we're here."
He hopped off the chair, grabbed his bag, and grinned. "I call my technique the Invincible Sword. What about you, brother?"
"Sacred Sword," Ryo answered.
"Oh!"
Doni's eyes widened—then he burst out laughing. "Perfect! Invincible Sword Vs. Sacred Sword! I can't wait!"
Ryo's lips curled in a faint smile. "Don't get your hopes up."
"Won't I?" Doni blinked, then suddenly stiffened, looking toward the sky. "Ah crap. Andrea caught up."
Overhead, a fighter jet roared into view, loudspeakers blaring.
"Doni! Your life is mine!"
"Whoa!"
As the jet dived like a kamikaze, Ryo's brows rose. In a flash of light, he swept up Erica and Liliana, whisking them to the island below.
Boom!
The yacht exploded in a fireball as the jet crashed into it.
Erica and Liliana, still reeling from the sudden teleport, gaped at the pillar of flame rising into the sky.
"No way! That's way too much!"
From within the inferno came furious shouting.
"Andrea, why are you in my way?!"
"I'm not stopping you. I just want to beat you senseless! Die, moron!"
Watching the two figures brawl in fire and smoke, Ryo tilted his head and glanced at Erica.
"Are kings and knights always like this?"
Erica smiled sweetly. "If my king desired it, I could treat you the same way."
Ryo's voice was calm as he replied: "Then I'd probably end up favoring Liliana alone. Better be ready for that, Erica."
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