Hebrass was a middle-aged man over three meters tall, with an average appearance save for his prominent cheekbones, which gave him a distinctive look. He consistently wore black Spartan-style full plate armor with silver patterns and wielded a roughly 1.3-meter-long cross-shaped knight's longsword, making him the strongest swordsman in the Bion Kingdom.
Of course, as the General who commanded the Bion Kingdom's army and one of only three Marquis in the kingdom, his status was extremely noble throughout Bion, so much so that even Princes, Princesses, and the First Consul would show him respect.
However, strictly speaking, Hebrass wasn't entirely aligned with the Royalist faction, as he was loyal only to the King and maintained a friendly relationship with the first in line to the throne.
Moreover, almost everyone in the upper echelons of the Bion Kingdom knew that Hebrass disliked the Marines, pirates, and even all outsiders, being a staunch supporter of an "isolationist" ideology. Thus, Marquis Mankervis's aristocrat faction only made one tentative recruitment attempt, and after its failure, they never considered Hebrass an enemy.
However, Hebrass now felt a deep bitterness; he had never expected the domestic situation to evolve so unpredictably.
A blood oath from Countess Shanna, followed by a messenger from the aristocrat faction, informed him of everything that had transpired tonight.
Setting aside other matters, the revelation that King Doma VII was assassinated by Duke Attawa's orders struck like a thunderbolt, utterly stunning the General commanding the Royal Army and Prince Lavishur. They remained dazed for a long time, unable to process the news.
The former was loyal only to the King and the country, while the latter was the King's own younger brother. How could they possibly accept the notion of a 'son killing his father'?
For a moment, both General Hebrass and Prince Lavishur, King Doma VII's brother, felt their minds buzzing, filled with disbelief. Yet, the pirate forces' offensive was relentless, giving Hebrass and Lavishur little time to think. They were left with only two choices: surrender or fight?
But to Hebrass and Lavishur, the Marines were untrustworthy, but pirates had even worse credibility. At least the Marines still upheld justice and order, even if their justice wasn't entirely pure, they were still far better than pirates who only sought to sow chaos.
So, after a brief discussion, they temporarily decided to support Countess Shanna's alliance with the Marines and fight the aristocrat faction and the Roberts Legion to the end!
After all, Doma Attawa had already died at the hands of his younger brother, Doma Mankervis, which could be seen as the price he paid for ordering King Doma VII's assassination.
Furthermore, both Hebrass and Lavishur did not want their country to be ruled by a group of heinous pirates and unscrupulous nobles driven solely by self-interest.
Recalling the past years, they had jointly commanded the Royal Army and had no small amount of dealings with pirates. Hebrass alone had killed at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand, pirates.
Clang—!
At this very moment, a spear collided with a longsword, instantly erupting in a loud metallic crash. A visible shockwave spread outwards, then transformed into a howling gale, kicking up large amounts of dust.
Hebrass felt an immense force, causing him to grunt in pain. His hand trembled violently, nearly losing his grip on his longsword, and his body involuntarily reeled back a dozen steps. Each step left deep imprints in the bluestone pavement.
"Hahaha! Got him!"
Several pirates nearby cackled grimly, ready to move in with their blades and take advantage. However, the next second, Hebrass abruptly halted his retreat, forcefully gripping his longsword. He spun in place, unleashing a horizontal slash with his sword.
Pfft—!
A flash of sword light. The sharp blade effortlessly tore through flesh and severed bone, instantly bisecting four people at once. Bloody, foul-smelling gore and organs splattered across the ground.
Yet, this single strike did not frighten the surrounding pirates. Instead, even more pirates swarmed forward, wielding scimitars, harpoons, battle axes, and other weapons, to besiege Hebrass.
It must be said, the pirates of the Roberts Legion were exceptionally strong, and their morale was sky-high under Roberts's Pump-Pump ability, making them utterly fearless.
"It's not good to treat my subordinates like vegetables to be chopped!" Roberts growled in a low voice. He immediately strode forward, thrusting the three-meter-long Gae Bulg in his hand, producing a flurry of spear thrusts that filled the air.
Hebrass's face subtly changed. He immediately forced a breath, barely managing to swing his sword to parry.
The longsword and longspear continuously clashed in the air, emitting a rapid "clang-clang-clang" sound. Sparks flew, and waves of rolling air rippled outwards. Suddenly, Roberts found an opening in his opponent's defense. He immediately used Gae Bulg to knock aside the longsword, leaving Hebrass wide open.
"Oh no!"
"Commander's Strike!!!"
Hebrass's face drastically changed as he heard Roberts let out a low growl. The three-meter-long Gae Bulg, like a venomous dragon, pierced through the air and struck Hebrass's shoulder. The shoulder plate, forged from fine steel, offered no resistance. The sharp spear blade, nearly half a meter long, easily pierced through it and plunged into Hebrass's shoulder, finally stopped by bone.
"Ugh—!"
Hebrass groaned in pain, instinctively grabbing the long spear blade of Gae Bulg with his left hand. Still, Roberts pushed him back a dozen steps, and a trail of blood formed on the ground.
"Domain: Sky Control Madness!!!"
Suddenly, the air churned. Under the control of some power, a violent, raging wind pressure formed, like a shockwave, sending the unprepared Roberts flying.
Rumble—Rumble—!
The ground trembled, roars were incessant, and dense, choking dust billowed. Then, Roberts in mid-air forcefully adjusted his posture, landing steadily on the ground. He heavily planted the Gae Bulg in his hand onto the ground with a "clang," shattering the bluestone bricks beneath into tiny fragments.
Roberts's eyes fixed on the front, and he slowly said, "Prince Lavishur... The Control-Control Fruit is indeed a troublesome ability!"
Next to Hebrass, a middle-aged man with a golden crown on his head and wearing a white robe with gilded patterns appeared. He frowned, looking at the wound on Hebrass's shoulder. Not only was it bleeding profusely, but eerie black patterns, like poison or a curse, had formed around the wound.
"His spear has cursed poison; you need to treat the wound immediately!"
"I know..."
Hebrass's face was pale, but he forced himself to stand firm with his sword.
At this moment, Regedor arrived late, scratching the back of his head, and said sheepishly, "Sorry, Commander, this guy is too agile; I couldn't hold him back!"
"It's fine, it's good that both of them are gathered. We'll deal with them at once!" Roberts's tone remained perfectly even, as if he were discussing something trivial.
But the next second, he suddenly lunged forward like a tiger hunting prey. The Gae Bulg in his hand unleashed a direct "Sweeping Thousand Armies" strike, enveloping both Hebrass and Lavishur in its attack.
"Domain: Sky Barrier!"
Lavishur subtly lifted his eyelids, suddenly reaching forward. The air before him rapidly solidified, forming a transparent air wall.
"Break!"
The next second, Roberts growled in a low voice, adding more power to his hands as he swung Gae Bulg. The sharp spear blade moved so fast it blurred, almost tearing the air, as it slammed heavily into the air wall.
Boom—!
A thunderous explosion erupted, sending out a visible white shockwave that swept through the city like a hurricane, even blowing away a dozen nearby houses.
"Ahhh—!"
"Commander-sama!"
"Get away quickly, this isn't a battle we can participate in anymore!"
"..."
Many nearby pirates were blown into the sky, letting out piercing screams of terror.
Instantly, Lavishur's face subtly changed. He quickly grabbed Hebrass and retreated backward, aided by the violent wind, making his speed incredibly swift.
"Don't think you can run!"
Regedor's expression was grim. He leaped seven or eight meters into the air, the silver vambrace on his right wrist spinning at high speed, emitting a buzzing "buzz-buzz-buzz" sound. Finally, he unleashed a visible spiral vortex of air towards the ground below.
"Spiral Shockwave!!!"
"Put me down, Lavishur!"
Hebrass forced himself to focus, breaking free from Lavishur's grasp. He swung his longsword with force, unleashing a massive, torrent-like slash.
Rumble—!
Another thunderous explosion. A fierce wind pressure descended from the sky, making the surrounding ground tremble even more violently.
"Such an intense battle... Is that where Roberts and Prince Lavishur are fighting?!"
Cross, riding the bronze griffin, circled in the sky. He wasn't participating in Vice Admiral Prodi's and the others' assault on the Iron Knight Lent, but the massive commotion from the central city had drawn his attention, making him wonder.
"Do you want to go check it out?" Gion asked.
"Lent's forces won't be able to stop us. I'll leave this place to you guys; I'm going to check on the main battlefield above!" Cross nodded, explaining.
"Be careful!"
"Okay!"
Then, Cross spurred his griffin and flew towards the central city of Doma City.
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