Chapter 31: Universal Anticipation
Anyone who touched my body with threatening intent would be attacked by the Thunderwind Eagle. It seemed simple, but the nobles present were all shrewd individuals, and upon hearing this, many understood the implications.
Many nobles looked toward Marquis Kifer, who was still clutching the wound on his hand, his face pale and unsightly.
"This Marquis Kifer must have made a move on her, truly…" Many nobles muttered to themselves, their gazes carrying a different meaning, leaving Marquis Kifer extremely embarrassed for a moment.
Emperor Johann also looked at his nephew with displeasure.
He knew that the ninth-level magical beast 'Thunderwind Eagle' behind Delia belonged to the wind-element Saint Grand Mage Lorrens. The Thunderwind Eagle attacking Marquis Kifer likely had no time to consult Delia or communicate with her.
This matter probably couldn't be considered Delia deliberately targeting Marquis Kifer.
Indeed—
Delia wasn't targeting Marquis Kifer. Before attending this banquet, Delia had already told the Thunderwind Eagle that if anyone tried to make a move on her, it should 'peck' them as punishment.
Other noble youths didn't have the nerve, but Marquis Kifer did. Naturally, he walked right into the trap.
"Guards, take Kifer down for treatment immediately." Emperor Johann shouted sternly.
Marquis Kifer didn't bother to defend himself, merely lowering his head and clutching the horrifying hole in his hand as he quickly left the hall. Emperor Johann then comforted Delia, "Miss Delia, I truly apologize that you had to encounter this. It is our fault, and I hope you won't take offense."
"No, no. Emperor Johann, this is Little Wind's fault. When I return, I will definitely have my teacher discipline it." Delia said, deliberately glaring at the Thunderwind Eagle beside her.
Then Delia apologized, "Emperor Johann, I'm not feeling well today, so I'll take my leave and return. Please forgive me."
"Very well, Miss Delia, be sure to rest well when you get back." Emperor Johann said with great magnanimity.
The main guest of tonight's banquet, 'Delia', left just like that, and the other nobles couldn't help but discuss the matter. Poor Marquis Kifer naturally became the focus of their gossip.
…
After this incident, surprisingly, Marquis Kifer, who had been treated with light healing magic, shamelessly and fearlessly offered to act as Delia's 'guide', spending every day at her mansion. The Eighth Prince Scott also accompanied Marquis Kifer.
Unfortunately…
Miss Delia was very friendly, but those two magical beasts were terrifying.
Once, when Miss Delia tripped while walking and was about to fall, Prince Scott kindly reached out to catch her. What greeted him was a 'peck' from the Thunderwind Eagle. This time, it was even more severe than with Marquis Kifer—Prince Scott's left hand was pierced straight through.
After this, Scott and Marquis Kifer learned from their mistakes and stopped making physical moves. But just when they thought they were being well-behaved, their misfortune struck again.
That Earth Bear actually slapped both Scott and Marquis Kifer flying with two consecutive swipes.
How terrifying were the Earth Bear's paws? Even though the Earth Bear casually swatted them, Scott and Marquis Kifer were severely injured and coughing up blood. They were tortured half to death before finally being healed by light mages.
According to the Earth Bear 'Hatten', "You two, hanging around in front of me, Lord Hatten, every day. Damn annoying. From now on, I'll hit you every time I see you!"
Good heavens!
Who dared to provoke a Saint-level magical beast like the 'Earth Bear'? Even if the Rock Sword Saint 'Hederson' came, defeating the Earth Bear wouldn't be easy. After all, the Earth Bear was undoubtedly one of the top Saint-level magical beasts. If not for Lorrens Master's 'Dimensional Blade' being so terrifying, how could he have subdued this Earth Bear?
After this, Scott and Marquis Kifer no longer dared to pester Miss Delia.
The profligate nobles in the imperial capital who harbored ambitions toward Miss Delia, upon seeing the fates of Marquis Kifer and Prince Scott, all dared not set their sights on Delia anymore. There was no choice—if they got slapped to death by a Saint-level magical beast, they'd have no one to cry to.
*******
During a conversation between Emperor Johann and Delia, he learned that Delia and Master Linley had once been classmates in the same class at Ernst Magic Academy. Delia wasn't in a hurry to return to the Yulan Empire this time and planned to stay in the O'Brien Empire to watch Linley's decisive battle with the Rock Sword Saint.
Emperor Johann was naturally very magnanimous.
Although a foreign envoy staying in the country for several months was quite long, Emperor Johann expressed his welcome, saying the longer Delia stayed, the better.
…
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, nearly three months had gone by. Tomorrow would be August 4th. At this moment, countless people throughout the imperial capital were discussing the upcoming Saint-level battle. Even in some towns on the outskirts of the capital, many people from other places had taken up residence.
Because too many people came to watch this battle, the imperial capital was completely packed.
Fushi Road, Earl's Mansion. Hillman and Steward Hiri were drinking and chatting together.
"Uncle Hiri, have you noticed that recently, when Linley eats every day, he smiles a lot more and often jokes around." Hillman's face was full of smiles.
Steward Hiri's red, wine-red nose was as prominent as ever, and he chuckled, "Hillman, you know the reason. Miss Delia is coming to watch Linley tomorrow, so of course he's happy. I think Miss Delia is very good. And I feel she has feelings for Linley."
"Yeah, when Miss Delia eats with us, the way she looks at Linley—I can tell too." Hillman said in the tone of an 'experienced person.'
Both Hillman and Steward Hiri were very satisfied with Delia.
But…
"However, Linley himself always avoids talking about it. I mentioned it to him once." Hillman shook his head helplessly.
"Don't worry. As long as they both have feelings, when the time comes, it will work out." Steward Hiri, on the other hand, was very confident.
Just then, Wharton and the five Barker brothers returned from the backyard training ground. These six big men walking together were indeed quite a sight.
"Grandpa Hiri, Uncle Hillman." Wharton greeted from afar.
Wharton glanced at the living room: "Huh? My brother and Miss Delia aren't here yet?" These days, Delia had lunch at Linley's place every day.
"They'll be here soon. Don't rush." Hillman said.
"They're coming." Gates, who was at the back, turned his head and saw Linley and Delia, both wearing light blue robes, walking side by side. The Blackscale Panther 'Blacky' followed behind, while Bebe stood on Blacky's back.
Both wearing light blue robes, the carefree Linley and the beautiful Delia sitting together truly looked like a perfect couple.
"Brother, time to eat. Still chatting? Not enough time?" Wharton's teasing voice rang out.
Linley and Delia both looked at Wharton, who shook his head with a laugh.
…
On the afternoon of August 4th, 10009 in the Yulan calendar, the weather was fine. The azure sky had only a few silk-like white clouds drifting at the horizon, and the wind wasn't strong. The gentle breeze blowing on one's face felt as comfortable as a lover's soft hand.
Tujiao Mountain in the west of the city!
This small mountain was only about a thousand meters high and a few miles in circumference—not a large mountain, much smaller than Martial God Mountain and others. But today, the area around this mountain had been orderly divided into sections, marked with dye. Nearly a hundred thousand city guards were also maintaining order.
The number of spectators today was enormous, even more than during the previous battle between Olivier and Hederson. Although there were more people, the millions were arranged in neat squares, much more orderly. Each square was guarded by city guards.
No one was on Tujiao Mountain, but above it, Linley stood in midair!
Even the empire's nobles were hundreds of meters from the foot of Tujiao Mountain, and the squares were arranged around the mountain.
Wharton, the five Barker brothers, and their group were naturally at the front, close to Emperor Johann and the royal family. Delia and Master Lorrens were also right next to Wharton and the others.
Wharton, Delia, and the others all looked up, worriedly watching Linley's figure.
"My brother will definitely win." Wharton said silently in his heart.
Master Lorrens gently patted Delia's shoulder. Delia turned to look at her teacher, but her eyes reddened. The psychological pressure on Delia was truly immense.
"It's okay. Linley will be fine." Master Lorrens comforted her.
"He'll be fine." Delia whispered to herself, then looked up at Tujiao Mountain.
"Damn it, why isn't that Hederson here yet?" Gates' angry shout rang out. He didn't care at all about the Rock Sword Saint—he cursed whenever he wanted.
At this moment, Wharton, Steward Hiri, Hillman, Delia, the five Barker brothers, Jenny, the two Rebecca sisters… all silently hoped, hoping Linley would win.
"It will be very difficult for Linley to win." A figure in a gray robe appeared beside them.
"Olivier?" Wharton, Gates, and the others looked at this person in surprise.
Olivier had actually come back to life!
Olivier's face was pale, but his aura was even more restrained. Bruumer was also by his side. Olivier glanced at Wharton and the others and said indifferently, "That Hederson's defense is the most terrifying, and his attack power is also astonishingly strong. You should still remember that last time, I only exchanged one sword strike with him, and my arm broke. His strength far surpasses mine. Besides that, his mental strength is also strong, and he's fast… He has almost no weaknesses. It will be very difficult to beat him."
"Olivier, my lord is not you." Gates said indignantly.
Olivier smiled faintly, said no more, and went to another spot with his brother to quietly prepare to watch the battle.
"Lord Hederson is here!" A cry of surprise came from somewhere in the boundless crowd.
Everyone saw a blur shooting from the eastern horizon. In just a moment, Hederson arrived above Tujiao Mountain, standing opposite Linley.
At this moment, Linley and Hederson were only about a thousand meters from the ground.
The people of the Yulan Continent had excellent eyesight, and during the day, figures at a thousand meters were still clearly visible.
Delia's hands were tightly clenched, her palms covered in cold sweat.
…
At this moment, the millions of people around Tujiao Mountain were utterly silent, as if holding their breath. Everyone felt an unprecedented pressure.
All eyes were fixed on the two figures in the sky.
"Linley, you're quite early." Hederson stood in midair, speaking casually and freely.
Linley, however, looked at him coldly, with a gentle breeze swirling around him. He was currently in human form, and the reason he could fly was due to the ninth-level wind magic 'Wind Shadow Technique.'
Flight was a seventh-level spell, its advanced form being the eighth-level 'Wind Wings,' while the ninth-level 'Wind Shadow Technique' could be considered a combination of the two auxiliary spells 'Wind Wings' and 'Swiftness.' Casting this spell allowed one to fly and also granted astonishing speed.
Linley casually took off his outer robe and stored it in his space ring, then coldly said to Hederson, "Hederson, there's no need for useless talk. Prepare to make your move." As he spoke, black scales rapidly emerged on Linley's body, vicious spikes sprouted from his back, forehead, and elbows, a dragon tail like a steel whip swung out, and his dark golden eyes coldly stared at Hederson.
"Oh, quite straightforward. Come on… let's see if you're qualified to force me to draw my sword!" The Rock Sword Saint 'Hederson' looked at Linley confidently, speaking with a faint smile and a loud voice.