"Aren't there a few too many people?"
Bernal couldn't help but say, looking at the bustling scene outside Stormveil Castle.
Arthur looked over and saw Fili and Kili, along with the dwarves who had come with them, waving and cheering him on.
He responded to the dwarves while answering Bernal, "It's quite a bit more than I expected. It feels like everyone in the Golden Tree Territory, except for the patrolling soldiers, has come."
Bernal also noticed Fili and Kili, who were noticeably shorter than the people around them, and asked, "Are those the 'dwarves' you mentioned? Is the student you assigned to me among them?"
Arthur said, "Yes, see the two shortest-bearded dwarves at the very front, one with golden hair and one with black hair, standing together? Those are them."
Bernal raised an eyebrow, "It is them, indeed. The aura they exude is different from other dwarves, not to mention their quite outstanding looks. It's just a pity they are so short."
Arthur shrugged, "Don't underestimate dwarves. Although they are small, their strength is beyond your imagination, and they have excellent balance. Despite their short stature, they are actually very agile. More importantly, they are truly stubborn and will always surprise you in certain ways."
Bernal didn't continue the topic of dwarves but looked at the Elves standing opposite the dwarves. "Are those long-eared ones Elves? Their appearances are very pleasing to the eye, so much so that it's hard to distinguish between male and female."
Arthur pursed his lips, "Don't even mention yourself; I'm the same. I never know their true gender before Elves speak, as they like to wear long hair and adorn themselves very elegantly and exquisitely."
Bernal stopped, and Arthur walked a few more steps forward, then turned to face Bernal.
The surrounding crowd consciously retreated several steps, leaving enough space for the two to spar.
Bernal gently tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, the tip trembling slightly. The knight's greatsword, which would be difficult for a normal person to wield with both hands, was effortlessly lifted by him with one hand, its tip pointed at Arthur.
Arthur, too, stood firm, adjusting his posture with ease. An identical knight's greatsword was also raised by him with one hand, its tip touching Bernal's raised knight's greatsword.
As if they had reached a silent agreement, they almost synchronously retreated a distance of four sword lengths.
The crowd, which had been making various noises and discussions, gradually quieted down, as the two figures in the center exuded a silent pressure. Some even felt that if they spoke, the knight's greatsword in Arthur's and Bernal's hands would be aimed at them.
The pressure forced the surrounding onlookers to retreat again and again, but they never felt they had reached a safe distance.
The dwarves and Elves were no exception, retreating with the crowd. However, Fili and Kili remained.
This was because Nepheli Loux had told these two dwarf princes that the burly silver-armored warrior confronting Arthur was their future Battle Skill teacher.
This made Fili and Kili unwilling to leave a weak impression during their first meeting with Bernal.
Moreover, Arthur was already their teacher, and even if it was just to show support for Arthur, Fili and Kili did not want to retreat.
So the stubborn nature of the dwarves surged forth, and even though Fili and Kili's legs trembled violently, they did not retreat a single step.
"Heh, I admit your assessment of dwarves was not wrong. The performance of these two princes indeed surprised me. Even though their bodies are sending signals of fear, and they are too nervous to speak, they still refuse to retreat. By their looks, it seems they want to cheer you on?" Bernal said to Arthur.
Arthur's gaze was unusually solemn. Although he had defeated Bernal eight times, a Quasi-Lord was still a Quasi-Lord and would not change because he defeated him.
Upon hearing Bernal's teasing words, which were like a pre-fight jest, Arthur also grinned, "Because I am also their teacher, isn't it normal for them to stay and cheer me on?"
Bernal narrowed his eyes, "Then I, as the 'newcomer,' must properly demonstrate my strength, so my future students know which of their two teachers is the most formidable."
At this moment, on the city wall above Stormveil's main gate, two Banished Knights who had finished patrolling and rushed here upon hearing the news were looking at the confrontation between Arthur and Bernal with gleaming eyes.
This was a very rare battle between the Elden Lord and a Quasi-Lord; the Banished Knights did not want to miss it.
Nepheli Loux, as the only person present unaffected by the pressure from Arthur and Bernal, also remained in place. She then stood in front of Fili and Kili, allowing the two dwarves' tense bodies to finally relax.
Fili and Kili breathed heavily, cold sweat constantly breaking out on their foreheads.
"Thank you, Nepheli Loux, City Lord." Fili thanked her.
Kili, panting, asked with fear mixed with excitement in his eyes, "Is this Arthur-sensei's true strength? Just standing there makes me feel like an insurmountable mountain, and if I get closer, I'll be frozen by the cold wind from the peak."
Nepheli Loux merely nodded calmly, then looked at the two and asked loudly, "Do you need me to be the referee?"
Arthur had no objection and immediately agreed.
Bernal also nodded to Nepheli Loux, "Of course, having the esteemed new Storm King witness this duel between Arthur and me, there is nothing more honorable."
With permission from both sides, Nepheli Loux said, "Given the strength of you two, a decisive victory would inevitably lead to casualties. In that case, let's see who can first knock the knight's greatsword from the other's hand. The one whose knight's greatsword is knocked away will be judged to have lost. Do you agree?"
Arthur replied without hesitation, "As a warrior, losing his weapon is equivalent to losing his life. I agree."
Bernal echoed, "I agree with Arthur's view. Having one's weapon knocked away by an enemy is no different from offering one's neck for slaughter."
Nepheli Loux nodded, drew her war axe from her waist, and golden lightning crackled and gathered on the axe head: "Then let the sound of thunder be the signal to begin."
Arthur and Bernal nodded simultaneously, then focused all their attention on each other and on Nepheli Loux.
Fili and Kili instinctively held their breath again. As dwarves, the two brothers could estimate the weight of the knight's greatswords in Arthur's and Bernal's hands.
They were already imagining what pleasant sounds these two knight's greatswords would make when they collided in a few seconds, and what kind of sparks would fly.
Arthur-sensei and Sir Bernal, they wondered what kind of spectacular battle these two warriors, both skilled in swordsmanship, would bring them.
With this thought, Fili and Kili tried hard to widen their eyes, afraid of missing any details of the exchange between the two.
"Boom!"
Nepheli Loux swung her war axe downwards, and golden lightning trailed a phantom afterimage in the air, but the thunder's roar appeared before the afterimage, reaching people's ears.
It has begun!
Fili tightly pressed his lips together, and Kili excitedly clenched his fists.
Will Arthur-sensei strike first, or will Sir Bernal make the first move?
The dwarf brothers, with their respective expectations, looked at the two in the arena, not far apart.
Then their eyes widened, and the onlookers not far behind them also slightly opened their mouths, showing expressions of surprise.
Because the imagined clash between longswords, between skills, did not occur, nor did the clang of metal on metal or the battle roars of men.
The moment Nepheli Loux swung her battle axe and unleashed thunder, Arthur and Bernal did not charge with their swords; instead, as if by agreement, they simultaneously knelt, dropping to one knee on the ground.
Time to pray!
While others were at a loss for words at this ludicrous scene, Fili and Kili suddenly understood.
The two of them were performing Prayers; kneeling on one knee was the required posture for casting Prayers.
Golden light simultaneously flared from their hands, then spread over their entire bodies.
At the same time, the Erdtree, serving as a backdrop, grew even brighter, its branches swaying and golden light falling.
[Erdtree Vow], one of the Prayers of the Erdtree faith, slightly enhances the user's various physical attributes. It is an ancient Prayer passed down from the knights of the Royal Capital of Leyndell.
Then the two stood up, exchanged glances, and just when the onlookers thought they would finally charge at each other with swords, they instinctively crouched down again.
Continuing to pray.
The Erdtree's radiance grew even brighter, which meant that the Prayer Arthur and Bernal were now casting was a higher-tier Prayer than the previous one.
[Erdtree Protection] can provide the user with considerable defense.
When Arthur and Bernal stood up again, a rich golden glow already enveloped their bodies, armor, and weapons.
Having fought Bernal eight times, Arthur understood his opponent too well; Bernal always did this before fighting him.
If Arthur's weapon had not been a knight's greatsword but another heavier weapon, he would not have cast Prayers alongside Bernal but would have charged directly.
Otherwise, if he charged, he would be met head-on by Bernal, who had just finished casting his Prayers, with his Beast-Gathering Armor, taking a sword strike and then being hit by Bernal's counter-attack.
Bernal's silver-gray eyes reflected the golden light, and he spoke with some surprise, "You didn't throw your sword away this time and pull out a staff."
"Because occasionally I want to…!?
Arthur was about to say he wanted to have a head-on confrontation with Bernal this time, but before he could finish, Bernal suddenly performed a 'New Year's Greeting Sword Art' on the spot, smashing his knight's greatsword into the ground.
This seemingly absurd action made Arthur swallow his unfinished words and quickly dodge to the side.
—!
The ground between Arthur and Bernal silently cracked, invisible blades cutting two wounds into the surface, making Arthur's gaze even more serious.
[Battle Skill: Vacuum Slash]
It was this strike that made Fili and Kili exclaim in surprise; they simply couldn't believe this was a combat technique a human could use.
The Elves behind them also exchanged glances, speechless.
Melshin, who had learned Glintstone Magic, pondered and asked Cairn and Irene, the Elven siblings beside him, "You two are also skilled swordsmen who have immersed yourselves in swordsmanship for centuries in Rivendell. Did you clearly see that human's movements just now?"
Cairn and his sister Irene exchanged glances, both seeing the tremor in each other's pupils.
The former was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "I'm not sure if what I saw was real, Sir Melshin. It's precisely because Irene and I saw it clearly that it feels so dreamlike. The moment that silver-armored warrior seemed to raise his sword high and then slash down, the air around the sword suddenly vanished, transforming into those two invisible blades."
Irene also spoke up to supplement her brother, "As for more, my brother and I couldn't discern it either. Perhaps we should ask Lord Arthur, who precisely dodged that attack."
Cairn hesitated for a few seconds, then finally said with a wry smile, "I think the more pertinent question is, are Arthur and his compatriots from his homeland truly humans as we know them? It's not that we haven't seen human heroes fight bravely, but to be able to unleash such terrifying slashes…"
He didn't finish his sentence, but Melshin and Irene both understood Cairn's meaning.
Irene suddenly remembered something. She blinked her beautiful eyes and said, "Oh, speaking of which, I remember Arthur always referred to his compatriots as the 'Golden Lineage.'"
"Golden Lineage," Melshin repeated, then looked up at the brightly glowing Twin Erdtrees within Stormveil Castle, and smiled faintly, "That truly is a fitting name for them."
Cairn then let out a short gasp, "Look, quickly!"
In the arena, Bernal had already taken advantage of the time Arthur spent dodging his Vacuum Slash to close in.
A distance of about ten meters was no different from standing face to face for both parties.
[Battle Skill: Quickstep]
Even though Bernal wore heavy Beast-Gathering Armor, his figure still moved like a phantom to Arthur's side, his right foot stomping heavily on the ground, his waist twisting with force to execute a counter-slash, the knight's greatsword in his hand gleaming with cold sharpness, pointing directly at Arthur.
[Battle Skill: Spinning Slash]
A nimble swordsman can rotate their body extensively, striking enemies unexpectedly.
"Clang!"
But the sensation Bernal imagined of his knight's greatsword striking Arthur's waist did not come; instead, the recoil from the sword almost made him lose his grip on the hilt, and nearly caused Bernal to lose his balance.
Arthur's slightly annoyed voice rang out, "Your Beast-Gathering Armor is really heavy; it didn't even make you fall on your butt."
Bernal nimbly leaped back a step, precisely dodging Arthur's immediate follow-up sword strike, which made Arthur 'tsk' in annoyance.
He looked at Arthur's other hand, which wasn't holding a sword, and smiled, "So that's it. No wonder I almost lost my weapon just now. You're not using those strange Glintstone Magic, but rather using the techniques I taught you to deal with me. I truly didn't expect that."
A small silver metal round shield had appeared in Arthur's other hand at some point; it was this seemingly inconspicuous small shield that, in the nick of time, perfectly blocked Bernal's unexpected slash.
[Battle Skill: Parry]
Arthur's eyes were filled with intense fighting spirit; this close-quarters combat made his heart pound in a way it hadn't in a long time.
He grinned happily and said, "I'm not an idiot. In all eight previous encounters, you saw through my Glintstone Magic patterns. If I couldn't figure out a way to counter it, then I'd have to question the 'gold content' of your 'Quasi-King' title."
If Arthur had chosen to use Glintstone Magic just now, he would surely have been hit by Bernal's unexpected [Vacuum Slash].
Bernal also saw the fighting spirit in Arthur's eyes and couldn't help but say, "You battle maniac."
Arthur, however, retorted without ceremony, "And you have the nerve to call me a maniac? Even you yourself are laughing unrestrainedly, Bernal."
Bernal was slightly startled, unconsciously reaching up to touch his mouth, then tightly gripped his knight's greatsword, and when he looked up again, he wore the exact same expression as Arthur.
As he raised his sword and used Quickstep to rapidly approach again, he shouted, "Because I can finally catch you, you guy who likes to run around and throw Glintstone Magic everywhere, and give you a good beating!"
Sword and sword, once again clashed together.
When a guy who always kites you suddenly wants to melee.