Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 459 - 432: The Flowing Flame Sword’s New Ability

Ronin had briefly sparred with Garrett once before, back during the Founding Day celebration.

At the time, to save face for his brother-in-law and to hide his true strength, Ronin had ended the match by voluntarily conceding.

He had never expected that this action would lead Garrett to mistakenly believe that his strength was inferior.

"Since the Crown Prince has proposed a solution, I have no choice but to comply."

Ronin’s expression was relaxed. "Ridder, keep a close watch on Mephisto. Don’t let him take this chance to escape."

"Yes, Sir!"

In a flash, Ridder appeared a short distance behind Mephisto. His incredible speed made Garrett and the Knights accompanying him turn pale, the pressure on them mounting intensely.

Garrett, however, felt a secret sense of relief.

’Good thing Ronin accepted my challenge. As long as I win like last time, he surely won’t go back on his word in public.’

He drew the longsword handed to him by a Sword Holder. "Come on, Ronin! Let’s see what gives you the right to be so arrogant!"

WHOOSH!

The moment the words left his lips, Garrett transformed into a purple shadow and charged at Ronin.

He unleashed his full power from the very beginning!

Ronin focused, ready to face him. ’This is a good chance to test my current strength, anyway.’

With a great CLANG, the longswords collided.

Ronin felt that the Flowing Flame Sword in his hand was more responsive than ever before. As he poured his Fighting Qi into it, the enhancement from the sword seemed even greater.

Beyond that, he had a strange feeling, an intuition that the Flowing Flame Sword held a special power waiting for him to discover.

Fighting Qi roared. Ronin’s feet remained planted firmly on the ground, but Garrett was sent flying backward by the tremendous impact.

"Impossible!"

Garrett’s face contorted. In that last exchange, he had felt a pressure so powerful it was unshakeable.

’How could Ronin possess such strength?’

The few Knights who had accompanied the Crown Prince also revealed shocked expressions. They had never imagined that Garrett, hailed as the strongest of the younger generation, would actually be at a disadvantage.

"Thunderbolt’s Roar!"

A torrent of purple lightning raged, nearly out of control. Fox-shaped bolts of electricity blasted huge craters into the ground wherever they passed.

Garrett slashed out, and the savage lightning nearly consumed Ronin’s entire field of vision.

In that instant, Ronin seemed to hear a voice from his Flowing Flame Sword. It told him that he only needed to swing his sword once to make the lightning before him dissipate.

So, Ronin trusted the feeling and swung his sword without hesitation.

In an instant, the space before him transformed into a sea of fire.

The flames billowed furiously, forming a terrifying, savage avatar of slaughter. In a flash, it completely devoured Garrett’s lightning, then lunged toward him with its remaining power.

The ever-proud and conceited Crown Prince felt as if Death itself was beckoning to him. His blood ran cold as a fear he had never known before gripped his heart.

"Protect His Highness!"

"Quick!"

All five of his guards rushed forward, trying to block the attack’s remaining force for Garrett.

Unfortunately, they were a step too slow. The scorching flames had already enveloped Garrett, sending him crashing into the distance.

The five Knights all manifested their Fighting Qi Armor. Two of them caught Garrett’s grievously wounded body as it flew back, but the immense impact sent them flying as well.

The same happened to the other three; all were heavily wounded and sent flying, crashing onto the desolate mountainside.

THUNK!

The Flowing Flame Sword was stabbed deep into the ground. Ronin couldn’t help but gasp for breath.

That last swing had not only drained all his Fighting Qi, but it had also consumed a vast amount of his Magic Power and Spiritual Power.

At this moment, it was an immense effort for him to even move a finger.

’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have used that move!’

Although Ronin was inwardly cursing himself for being reckless, he was also full of admiration for the move’s power.

’I’ll call this move... Celestial Fire Scorched Earth!’

He named it in his mind.

After the devastating exchange, the five Follower Knights struggled to their feet, but Garrett remained on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.

On his body, an Energy Crystal Shield slowly cracked and shattered. It was an Eighth-level Earth-Attribute Magical Guardian Saint Armor.

Without this life-saving ability, Garrett would likely have been knocked unconscious and grievously injured.

But even so, his entire body ached with a burning pain, and it felt as if his bones had been shattered.

Of course, the physical pain was secondary. The psychological wound was the most severe damage Garrett had suffered in this duel.

He had never imagined he would lose to Ronin, let alone be so utterly defeated.

Two moves. The man had only used two moves to defeat not only him, but all five of his followers as well.

One had to understand, of those five, three were Meteor Knights, and the other two were at the Golden Level Peak—War Generals who had long been famous on the border.

In another direction, Mephisto was scared out of his wits when he saw this. Against such terrifying power, he stood no chance, even if he absorbed more Power of the Soul to consolidate his strength.

He saw Ronin leaning on his sword and gasping for breath, and he thought this was his chance.

’Escape!’

Instantly, Mephisto transformed into a streak of black light and fled frantically.

But before he had gone more than a few dozen meters, a heavy punch sent him flying back, rolling over and over on the ground before he finally stopped.

"You can’t kill me!"

Mephisto shrieked, suddenly pointing at Jesus. "If you kill me, he’ll die too! He’s the King’s own brother, a member of the Oduin Royal Family!"

Ridder paused and looked at Ronin, who softly uttered a single word: "Kill."

A Great Mage who was a spent force against a Proud Sun Knight in peak condition—Mephisto struggled, casting Magic like Dark Bat, but Ridder effortlessly neutralized it all.

With a sharp, piercing sound, Ridder’s longsword ran through Mephisto’s body.

Fighting Qi invaded his body through the wound, running rampant inside Mephisto.

The eyes of this Shadow Divine Envoy, who had harmed hundreds of thousands of living beings, shot wide open. His mouth gaped, and dense cracks, like those in a dried-up riverbed, appeared all over his pale face.

The cracks grew wider and wider until, with a BANG, he exploded, turning to dust that scattered to the winds.

The Witch Soul Pearl that had been fused within Mephisto’s body floated in the air, then its light flared violently before it shattered with a loud crack.

"Gaaah!"

Jesus, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, began to struggle frantically as if an invisible hand were choking him. Ultimately, he could not escape death.

But compared to the other Witch Soul Knights and soldiers, he was lucky enough to at least leave behind an intact corpse.

Garrett had already been helped to his feet by his men. He watched the scene unfold in silence, not saying another word to stop it.

His thoughts were still stuck on the fact that he had lost; he couldn’t accept it.

「Meanwhile, in the city below the mountain, the Knights who were still locked in the final stages of battle all stopped.」

The last thousand or so Witch Soul Knights suddenly struggled and collapsed, becoming completely still.

"We won?" someone asked in disbelief.

"We won!"

"We won!"

One cheer rang out, followed by a second, and a third. In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield erupted into a unified roar of victory.

Lurans panted heavily. It had been a long time since he’d had such an intense battle; it was like reliving the excitement and thrill of more than thirty years ago.

He looked toward the distant mountain peak. ’The ones who just died... Ronin must have done something up there. Does that mean Mephisto is dead?’

He leaped into the air and strode across the sky, heading for the mountaintop.

At the same time, a group of Griffins appeared on the distant horizon. It was the Royal Griffin Knight Squad, arriving late.