Starting as the Baron of the Lonely Island

The walls of Fire Source City were tall and thick, reinforced with the Hardening Technique. Not even a Celestial Tier Warrior could leap over them in a single bound, much less destroy them with ease.

Although the walls lacked a moat, if the defenders chose to focus solely on defense, an attacking force would still find it exceedingly difficult to breach the city.

The army of the Silent Shore had advanced to within several hundred meters of the city. Phalanxes of shield-bearers had already raised their shields, defending against the volley of arrows raining down from the walls.

The rest of the troops also moved into position, assuming a stance that signaled an impending siege.

Duane, Count Kais, and the others sat on horseback, frowning slightly as they gazed at the towering walls before them.

The Count explained, "It’s said that this gate was forged from Black Iron by over a hundred blacksmiths over several years. It will be difficult to break it down with a siege hammer."

"A tricky problem indeed," Duane said with a nod.

Generally, the strategy for taking such a city was a long-term siege, cutting off its supplies. A direct assault would inevitably come at a great cost.

Duane and his forces were pressing close not to launch a direct assault, but to apply pressure.

Meanwhile, Marles and Fulin Mage had already set out from Silver Scale Port with the majority of the warships, heading north toward Fire Source Port.

Their goal was not to capture Fire Source Port either, but to blockade the river and prevent any ships from docking.

The task of the army at the front was to pin down the enemy—

to launch occasional charges to wear down the enemy’s patience and energy, while keeping Count Kudro tied down.

"If Kudro leaves the city to raid Fire Source Port, then I will launch a full-scale assault."

Duane sized up the gate. "A gate that a siege hammer can’t break? Leave it to me. At full power, not even this Black Iron gate will withstand more than a few hits."

Count Kais nodded thoughtfully. He had already instructed Marles and the others to only intercept, not attack. If the Fire Source Port warships took the initiative, they were to retreat and maintain their distance.

If Kudro remained in Fire Source City, they would simply wear him down.

The city was heavily populated; once its supplies were cut off, it would only take a few days for panic to spread.

Duane tilted his head back, assessing the thirty-meter-high walls.

’With his strength, he could probably leap up there.’

’But his movement would be restricted in mid-air. If the enemy concentrated their fire on him, he’d be in a passive position.’

’Especially since the enemy had a Silver Moon Warrior among them. Even with his defenses, he wasn’t willing to take the risk.’

After all, the Hassa Clan’s "Frenzied Battle Body" Bloodline Power could drastically increase Strength, speed, and Fighting Qi potency, allowing Kudro, who had just entered the Silver Moon Level, to possess the power of a Silver Moon Peak warrior.

However, the battle took an unexpected turn.

Just as they were preparing for a long stalemate, the heavy city gate slowly creaked open, and a large contingent of troops streamed out.

Baron Jick couldn’t contain himself, letting out a cry of disbelief. "No way. Are they trying to face us head-on?"

Baron Cruz chimed in, "It seems... so?"

Count Kais immediately spotted a figure on a tall warhorse and sneered, "It looks like Kudro has given them the courage to meet us in the open!"

As he spoke, he turned to Duane. "Are you confident you can handle him?"

Duane nodded. "No problem."

The two armies formed their ranks, and Kudro rode forth, brandishing a giant sword.

Seeing this, Duane couldn’t help but be reminded of the scenes of generals dueling before their armies in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. ’This guy doesn’t actually want to challenge me to a one-on-one duel in front of both our forces, does he?’ he thought.

The thought had just crossed his mind when Count Kudro’s voice boomed from across the field like muffled thunder, "Duane! Do you dare come out and fight?"

’So he really is challenging me to a duel.’

"Are you going?" Count Kais asked.

Duane smiled. "Kudro is actually making things easier for us. Once I defeat him, you should prepare to attack."

His confidence was reassuring to those around him, and his track record of defeating Thomsen lent it credence.

With a thought, Duane urged his warhorse out from the ranks. "Kaelon, Simone, I’m temporarily handing command of the Black Forest Island forces to Count Kais."

"Yes!"

Up on the city wall, Severus’s gaze was fixed on the mount beneath Duane.

"His horse seems to be a summoned creature?"

Beside him, Saint Hall Grand Commander Mitchell extended his senses. "It is indeed a summoned creature. This Duane’s skill as a Mage is quite high."

Severus nodded. "His talents as both a Warrior and a Mage are considerable. Barring any accidents, he will surely break through to the Extraordinary Realm in the future."

Mitchell couldn’t agree more.

At that moment, Duane halted his horse about a hundred meters from his opponent, holding his spear level.

"Count Kudro, this war has nothing to do with you. I would like to know your reason for interfering."

Kudro gave a savage grin. "I just want to kill you, or be killed by you. Is that reason enough?"

Arrogance was his very nature.

His previous retreat at Sea Cliff Castle was mainly because Hela Hill had been present, and because he himself had lacked confidence.

But today was different. Even if he was at a disadvantage, he had backup; he wouldn’t end up in a pathetic state like Thomsen.

Duane couldn’t help but laugh, shouting, "You all heard him! This is Count Kudro’s own request. Don’t blame me if he ends up dead!"

Count Kudro laughed heartily and tightened his grip on his giant sword as his Silver Moon Level Fighting Qi surged and erupted.

He yanked hard on the reins, and his warhorse whinnied as it charged toward Duane.

"Kill me if you have the skill!"

Duane raised his long spear, its tip glinting coldly in the sunlight.

’What else could he do when faced with such a request from his enemy?’

’Naturally, he would have to reluctantly oblige.’

The two spurred their horses forward at almost the same time.

BOOM!

The instant the spear and sword collided, a shockwave erupted, cracking the ground and sending dust flying.

Kudro’s Strength was indeed astonishing, further amplified by his giant sword. The impact actually sent a slight tremor through Duane’s arm.

But that was all.

With a sudden flick of his long spear, Duane forcefully knocked Kudro’s great sword aside.

"Not bad Strength, but unfortunately... still far from enough!"

Kudro’s pupils constricted. He hastily changed his move, sweeping his sword horizontally in an attempt to force Duane back.

However, Duane didn’t need to control his mount manually; a mere thought was enough to make the warhorse instantly adjust its position.

His long spear shot out like lightning, aiming straight for Kudro’s throat.

CLANG!

Kudro threw his giant sword horizontally in front of his throat, using the flat of the blade to block the spear tip.

Sparks flew as metal struck metal.

Duane let out a long cry. His Perfection Level Spear Skill, enhanced by the Thousand Shadows Staff Combat Technique, unleashed a torrent of spear strikes like a downpour, each blow carrying astonishing destructive power.

Kudro was forced back again and again, the webbing of his hand growing numb. He was horrified. ’This guy’s Strength and speed are even greater than mine?’

On the city wall, the watching Severus frowned. "I didn’t expect Kudro to be unable to last even twenty seconds without unleashing his Bloodline Power. This Duane is absurdly strong."

Mitchell said gravely, "His Spear Skill is so fast that even I can’t follow it clearly. It seems Thomsen’s defeat at his hands was well-deserved!"

Also standing on the city wall, Viscount Ugo felt a chill run down his spine.

Only after seeing the true gap in power did he realize how ludicrous his past actions had been.

’If he could do it all over again, Ugo would never have agreed to Liam’s suggestion to assassinate Natalia.’

’Even if an assassination was necessary, targeting George would have been a better choice than targeting Natalia.’

It was a good thing Kudro and Severus were here this time. Otherwise, he would have been better off opening the gates and surrendering early.

On the other side, in stark contrast to Ugo’s anxiety, Count Kais and his men were all in high spirits.

Every time Duane gained an advantage, Kaelon, Simone, and the others would let out a cheer.

Soon, the cheers merged into a single roar.

The collective shout of several thousand men created a unique aura that made the opposing soldiers tremble and even caused Kudro to grow more anxious as he fought.

Finally, Duane found an opening. His long spear swept out and slammed heavily into his opponent’s chest!

THUD!

Kudro grunted as he was sent flying several dozen meters, crashing heavily to the ground.

His warhorse, long unable to withstand the force of their clash, had already collapsed, thick white foam spewing from its mouth.

Duane quickly spurred his horse closer.

Kudro knew it would be too late if he didn’t use his full power, so he immediately activated his Bloodline Power.

In an instant, scarlet Fighting Qi erupted from his body, coalescing around him to form a layer of menacing, blood-red armor.

At this moment, Kudro’s aura was several times stronger and extremely volatile.

Duane was inwardly alarmed and prepared to use one of his own ultimate moves.

"Mountain Collapse!"

As he unleashed the Shattering Spear, the very space before the spear’s tip seemed to twist and compress.

On the wall, Severus’s pupils constricted. He sensed the power of this strike and simultaneously prepared to intervene.

Count Kudro let out a wild roar as a colossal, blood-red silhouette enveloped him.

Duane had seen this before. A similar giant, Demon God-like figure had appeared when Tara used her "Blood Kill" secret technique.

The moment the spear tip collided with the blood-red figure, the world fell silent.

Then, a deafening explosion tore through the air. A violent, ring-shaped shockwave burst outward, shattering the ground into a spiderweb of cracks. Rubble was flung high into the air, creating a dust storm that blotted out the sun.

Although the armies on both sides were a considerable distance away, and despite the shield-bearers’ efforts, they were still thrown into chaos by the force of the impact, with men and horses sent tumbling.

The ground beneath Kudro’s feet collapsed with a roar, forming a massive crater over ten meters in diameter, and the blood-red giant figure around him was blasted to pieces.

However, Duane, who was at the center of the impact, was also knocked back. The immense force was too much for the Arcane Warhorse beneath him, causing it to disintegrate.

"The power of that spear strike..."

Severus frowned deeply. "Are you certain he’s only Silver Moon Level?"

Mitchell didn’t dare to draw a conclusion, saying only, "Duke Kelvin watched a recording of the fight between Duane and Thomsen. He said that Duane’s strength was not much different from his own."

"If this man is allowed to keep growing, he will be a problem."

A vicious glint flickered in Severus’s eyes. As a Criminal Law Judge, he was not a kind-hearted man.