Chapter 124 : Ultimate Defense
Chapter 124: Ultimate Defense! Earth Shield!
But at the instant he activated Hunting Moment,
he heard a girl’s voice sweep past his ear.
“Oh ho. Interesting.”
Immediately after came a burst of fragrant wind, and a shadow moving at extreme speed.
At the moment that shadow passed by, Leo’s blade cut through the air, leaving behind a bright arc of slashing light.
Seng!
It hit—
No! It didn’t!
Leo only saw a small piece of white skirt flutter down before him.
Turning around, the opponent was already standing on a tree behind him.
Leo touched the back of his neck, feeling as if something had been stuck onto it.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The masked girl on the tree applauded, then casually sat on a branch. The strange mask on her face gave off an unfathomable feeling.
“Pretty quick reaction.”
The masked girl on the branch was not tall, dressed in a white skirt, and looked quite young.
But her strength was unfathomable.
And that extreme speed just now—Leo felt that his current self could not keep up at all.
Who exactly were they?
Sensing a tremendous threat, Leo tightened his grip on the Starfall longsword. Every hair on his body stood on end.
“Are you wondering who I am?” the girl said with a smile. “Defeat him, and I’ll tell you.”
Before her voice even fell—
Boom!
A wave of pressure surged from behind Leo as a massive figure landed behind him.
In an instant, swirling dust engulfed him completely.
“Come.”
A heavy voice sounded. Leo tilted his head and saw, within the dust, a mountain-like figure walking toward him.
Who are these two?!
While his mind raced, the longsword in his hand had already turned into a streak of light.
Power of Dark Tide!
Facing Leo’s full-force strike, the giant raised a hand, and silver light instantly shone between his fingers.
Clang!
“High-tier Knight.” Leo’s slash was easily deflected.
However, Leo’s swordsmanship was already fluid and controlled. The moment his attack was deflected, he had already withdrawn and shifted his move.
Mountain-Cleaving Cross Sword! Feint and strike the weak!
Sensing the sharp sword wind, the giant reacted swiftly.
His silver-glowing palm turned into an afterimage,
lightly batting aside Leo’s blade before stepping back ten meters in a single motion.
His movements were effortless.
Meanwhile, Leo felt his palm going numb.
After just two exchanges, whether in strength or speed, he was far inferior.
This was a High-tier Knight.
The most terrifying part was his defense—he casually blocked Leo’s Power of Dark Tide slash with his bare hands.
Leo’s sword felt like it was cutting into mud, effortlessly neutralized.
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Leo’s mind raced. He stabbed his sword into the ground, kicked up dirt, then turned and ran.
Just as the dust rose, the giant had already burst through it.
“Trying to run?”
The giant grinned, stomping the ground as his body shot forward like a cannonball.
His massive frame brought forth a violent gust of wind, like an inescapable net enveloping Leo.
But the next moment, a sharp sword cry rang out.
In an instant, a burst of dazzling sword light flashed.
“What a Return to the Mountain, Gazing at the Moon!” the girl on the tree exclaimed excitedly.
Just moments ago, Leo had used a sudden burst to create a ten-meter gap.
But he was not trying to escape.
If brute force failed, he had to find another way.
Feigning retreat, he searched for an opening while accumulating Sword Intent.
Hunting Moment!
Eightfold Tsunami! Return to the Mountain, Gazing at the Moon!
Facing an unprecedented enemy, Leo pushed all his techniques to the limit.
With a tearing sound that split the air, his sword strike cut forward, severing branches several meters away at the root.
“Good sword!” the girl’s voice rang out again.
Facing this accumulated strike, the giant did not dodge or evade. Instead, he crossed his arms before him.
He had absolute confidence in his body, intending to take the blow head-on.
At that moment, his sleeves burst apart, his arms crossing like an indestructible shield wall.
Water Armor! Earth Shield!
Boom!
The blade struck as if against an unyielding earthen wall, producing a piercing shock.
A cloud of dust exploded before Leo.
Leo’s heart tightened.
It didn’t break through.
What kind of defense is this?!
In that instant of shock, Leo felt his entire body sink.
His full-force strike had been blocked, and the giant’s overwhelming impact slammed directly into him.
At that moment, memories from his previous life resurfaced.
It felt exactly like the moment he had been hit by a truck before dying.
But in this life, Leo was no longer so fragile.
Black aura condensed, muscles tensed.
Leo was sent flying over ten meters, crashing heavily into a tree before falling back to the ground.
“Flag, you lost.”
“My lady.” Flag looked at his arms.
There were actually two wounds.
Although they were only shallow cuts, it was enough to shock him.
With two High-tier defensive techniques stacked together, he could block even the attacks of ordinary High-tier Knights.
Yet that strike just now…
“I didn’t expect to be broken through by a Low-tier Knight.” Flag looked at Leo fleeing into the distance, as silver radiance spread over his arms, covering the wounds. “Brat, you even coated your sword with something.”
Soon, faint green blood seeped out from the wounds.
Ever since Leo began practicing swordsmanship, he had applied some of his concocted Toxic Potions onto his blade.
At this moment, Flag wiped away the green toxic blood.
The silver radiance around his body gradually faded.
“Nice! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you bleed.” Mia landed beside Flag. “A bet is a bet. Flag, I can now defy orders three times.”
Flag showed a helpless expression. “Speaking of which, that kid’s swordsmanship…”
“Go on.” Mia curled her lips into a smile.
“It’s indeed very strong.”
“Of course. If you count it, I’m practically his swordsmanship teacher—no, his grandmaster…” Mia calculated their relation. “I didn’t expect he could develop the Tide Cross Sword to this extent on his own.”
“He’s a good seedling.” Flag snorted coldly. “Just that his methods are somewhat underhanded. His character needs to be observed…”
Although he had forced out the poison with his Breathing Technique, the wound still felt slightly itchy.
Such potent toxicity—it was more than enough to kill a Level 3 Beastkin.
“Alright.” Mia crossed her arms, speaking words beyond her apparent age. “Report his parameters.”
Flag thought for a moment before speaking calmly, “Compared to his Low-tier Knight realm—overall evaluation: Speed B, Perception B, Strength A, Combat Adaptability A.”
“That high?” Mia tapped her arm thoughtfully. After a moment, she said, “As for swordsmanship talent, I’ll give him A+.”
“A+?” Flag was stunned. This was the first time Mia had given such a rating.
By that standard, Leo already met the threshold for special recruitment.
“To be able to develop a refined-level sword technique to this extent without guidance shows his mind is exceptional.” Mia tapped her temple.
“So, shall we initiate the special recruitment procedure, Lady Mia?” Flag asked.
“Wait. On him… there’s a Golden Radiance Blessing from another Great Knight…” Mia frowned, several names flashing through her mind. “Not sure who.”
“Huh?” Flag was confused. “A Great Knight’s blessing? How could that appear on him?”
“…” Mia scratched her head, unable to figure it out.
Their figures moved, vanishing into the forest in an instant. “The wind is about to rise. Let’s observe a bit longer.”
…
On the other side, Leo panted heavily.
Taking advantage of their conversation, he had retreated at full speed.
That strike just now had been almost his strongest—one blow had nearly drained all his stamina.
Clearly, that giant had held back. Their purpose seemed only to test him.
No matter what—when in doubt, retreat was the best strategy.
However, Leo had heard the giant call that girl Mia.
“Could that be Eve’s sister?”
Whether she was Mia or not, Leo had no intention of staying.
What if it was a trap?
After that battle, less than twenty percent of his combat power remained.
That giant was the strongest opponent Leo had ever encountered.
Even with Berserk State and Eightfold Tsunami, he could not break through his defense.
So this was the defense of a High-tier Knight?
Leo felt that among High-tier Knights with Silver Radiance, that giant was even more oppressive than Laforin.
A complete suppression in raw power.
For the first time, Leo felt an insurmountable gap.
The faint joy from his recent breakthrough had completely vanished.
The difference in strength was enormous.
Fortunately, those two were not enemies.
Leo’s thoughts were complicated.
He had only been cultivating as a knight for half a year.
Yet many native knights had trained for years, even decades.
He must never overestimate himself or grow arrogant.
Moreover, compared to that giant, the shorter woman seemed to be his superior.
And the terrifying speed she displayed when approaching him—
faster than his arrows.
If he had not activated Hunting Moment’s Vibration Perception to predict her movement in advance,
he would not have been able to react at all.
As the saying goes, in martial arts, speed is paramount.
Compared to the giant, her speed and agility were even more terrifying.
If he could not even touch her, then no matter how great his strength was, it meant nothing.
Strength, speed, and that indestructible defense—
Leo had witnessed a higher level of power.
For him, this was extremely valuable experience.
The appearance of a strong enemy did not make Leo fearful.
Instead, it ignited his desire to grow stronger even more.
Leo sprinted all the way, even leaving his Dragon-Elephant behind.
Only when the distant outline of Blackstone City appeared on the horizon did he finally slow down.
…
“She… is my sister…” Eve directly gave Leo the answer.
Eve felt somewhat speechless. Not a single one had been spared—aside from the injured Anthony, even Leo, who had just broken through, had been tested.
Upon returning to Blackstone City, Leo encountered Eve, who had been waiting for him.
“I heard you’ve already broken through to the knight realm.” Eve looked at Leo, still finding it hard to believe.
“Mm.” Leo nodded.
This return to the city had dealt Eve two consecutive blows.
The first was encountering the masked Mia and Flag on the road.
She had been effortlessly defeated.
When she learned that the masked figure was Mia,
she realized that over the years, the gap between them had not shrunk—it had only widened.
After joining the Golden Knight Order, Mia’s strength had leapt forward once more.
The second blow was Leo.
Her former swordsmanship student had become a Formal Knight in just half a year.
Unbelievable, yet real.
In terms of Breathing Technique talent alone, Leo’s talent surpassed even Mia’s.
Even if difficult to accept, it was the truth.
The gap in talent between people could be this vast.
“Teacher, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first.” Leo could guess what Eve was thinking.
At this moment, nothing he said could comfort her.
Better to return and focus on his own matters.
“Don’t call me teacher anymore. We’re both in the knight realm now. Just call me Eve from now on.”
Leo said nothing further.
After half a year of effort, Eve—the once genius teacher in his eyes—had now become a fellow knight at the same realm.
But this was normal.
Everyone had their own goals.
Eve had simply been one of Leo’s goals.
After surpassing one goal, new ones would appear.
What Leo needed to do was to keep surpassing them, one after another.
“Oh, right. My father is waiting for you at the Knight Hall. You must go now.” Eve said with a serious expression.