The secret techniques of the Arsilo Swordsmanship, known as the Angel’s Thorn, unfolded in Charlot Mecklenburg’s mind like a gentle spring stream—clear and resonant. The intricate variations of sword techniques, which he previously knew only how to use but never understood, now became sharp and vivid. Every change illuminated his understanding without the slightest hindrance.
With a sudden sharp cry, Charlot leapt into action. His movements quickened by three parts, and his swordsmanship by five.
He unleashed sixteen consecutive strikes in one breath. The sword light gathered and surged, resembling a young dragon soaring into the sky. With this display, he forcefully shook off the mysterious knight and ascended triumphantly.
The Fourth Movement of Angel’s Twelve Movements: Wings of the Young Dragon!
This particular technique did not rely on new moves but rather on manipulating Blood Glory. It accelerated the flow of Blood Glory by 30%, translating into a 30% increase in speed and a 50% boost in swordsmanship, showcasing the unpredictable and lightning-fast Angel’s Thorn to its fullest potential.
Breaking free from the mysterious knight, Charlot’s sword light pointed downward, stopping the knight mid-leap. One of his Flame Dragon’s Hands grabbed a Firequell Silver Rhino, aiming it at Jonan and pulling the trigger.
This legendary “World-Famous Gun,” which had once slain Grand Duke Ferdinand, now fired an anti-magic armor-piercing round capable of altering the history of the Old Continent.
Jonan’s smile froze on his face as the bullet struck his head. The anti-magic round obliterated his skull entirely, leaving his headless corpse to collapse onto the ground.
Charlot wasted no time lingering. After firing one shot, his other Flame Dragon’s Hand drew another Firequell Silver Rhino, firing eight consecutive shots. These volleys suppressed the mysterious knight and temporarily delayed the Guardian Knights from entering the battlefield. With movements akin to a massive bat, Charlot glided through the night sky.
He tumbled to the ground, activated Swiftstep Technique, Spider Technique, and his newly mastered Wings of the Young Dragon, and bolted towards Silver Dove Castle.
The mysterious knight and Guardian Knights, enraged by Jonan’s death, gave chase with unrelenting fury.
Charlot relied on his agility, quickly nearing Silver Dove Castle. Glancing back at the dozen or so Transcendents chasing him, a plan formed in his mind. He veered off course, luring the maddened Transcendents—whose sole intent was to kill him—into disarray.
In the Old Continent, Transcendents held an overwhelming advantage over ordinary people.
With the Eye of Insight, Charlot maneuvered behind the South Seraph restorationists’ army. In the chaos, he cut through their ranks as if no one were there. The dozen or so formidable Transcendents trailed him, causing havoc wherever they went.
Within half an hour, Charlot had led the group in a wide circle. The army of South Seraph restorationists faltered in their formation under the confusion. Seizing the opportunity, Charlot pushed forward, leading the Transcendents into yet another loop within the army’s ranks. By the sixth circuit, the attacking force crumbled entirely.
Dolores Soumet drew a magical card, Gale, summoning a whirlwind of dust that seemed to chase the fleeing soldiers.
Dubin Alger decisively ordered the castle gates opened to pursue the retreating South Seraph restorationists.
The sudden reversal of the battlefield forced the Transcendents chasing Charlot to abandon their pursuit reluctantly. Ten knights raised their Original Blood Limits, shielding their retreating comrades from flying bullets and arrows, and they exited the battlefield.
Charlot stood amidst the aftermath, observing everything unfold but was too exhausted to continue fighting.
Although his time in battle had not been long, Charlot had crossed through the entire South Seraph restorationist army, fought knights of far superior ranks, and endured a dogged pursuit. By now, his Blood Glory was nearly depleted, and his strength had reached its lowest ebb.
The battle raged until dawn, with Dubin capturing over a thousand soldiers who surrendered.
Charlot dared not accept the surrendered soldiers lightly. This was the South Seraph restorationists’ elite force; even if they capitulated now, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t turncoat later. After some hesitation, he decided to send the prisoners to Strasbourg for the Empire to handle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Charlot had a flash of inspiration. Instead of sending a routine report to the Empire, he altered the details slightly, claiming that the South Seraph elite forces had captured Silver Dove Castle, killed Baron Feller’s entire family, and looted all their wealth, leaving no survivors. According to his report, Charlot had led his troops in a bitter struggle to reclaim Silver Dove Castle. Tragically, Baron Feller’s family’s bodies were not recovered, as they had likely been taken back to South Seraph as trophies of war. The looted wealth was similarly unrecovered.
Charlot believed this revised report was more compelling and immediately dispatched five combat squads to escort the prisoners and deliver the report.
With this settled, Charlot returned to Silver Dove Castle, where the Diary sent a flicker of intent: Charlot Mecklenburg had successfully repelled three waves of the South Seraph restorationists but had left the castle, causing the maze transformation to fail. As the temporary commander of Silver Dove Castle, Charlot was tasked with resisting 18 waves of the South Seraph restorationists’ attacks. During this period, he could not leave the location or surrender.
Charlot was disheartened. “Can’t I catch a break?”
“I repelled the South Seraph forces with great effort, and now all my previous victories are erased because I counterattacked?”
“Also, wasn’t adding NPCs supposed to speed up the maze transformation? Why did it work in Machubi but not here at Silver Dove Castle?”
“Is this maze secretly discriminating against me?”
As he fumed, the Diary pulsed again, revealing that repelling the South Seraph restorationists once would grant a pathway directly connecting to Machubi.
Charlot’s mood brightened.
“If I can connect to Machubi, moving the baron’s wealth will be much easier.”
“Bah! If Silver Dove Castle completes its maze transformation, why would I need to transport anything?”
“The entire castle would be mine. Even if the baron has heirs, they’d only manage the surface-level castle, while I’d control the true Silver Dove Castle.”
As Charlot daydreamed about the benefits of a maze-transformed Silver Dove Castle, the Diary trembled again: NPC population exceeded numerical recognition limits. Please manually input NPC count.
Only then did Charlot realize why the large population of Silver Dove Castle hadn’t sped up the transformation. Guessing at a number based on the city’s medieval size as a baronial domain, he casually wrote down 586,000. The Third Page of Agmirlas Labyrinth vanished entirely, leaving no further instructions.
Charlot waited and waited, but the Diary remained silent. Finally noticing that the vanished Third Page of Agmirlas Labyrinth had taken unusually long to disappear, he sighed. “This damn maze has so many bugs!”