"The Proof of War!?"

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood and Venie Arsenault excimed in unison. Aubrey Tildon Atwood, being a high-ranking knight himself, naturally knew that the Proof of War was the hardest to obtain among the eight Knight Proofs. Venie Arsenault, though not a knight, was well aware of how difficult it was to acquire any Knight Proof, let alone the Proof of War.

  Anne Bretagne's cousin, Cir Bretagne, and Dolores Soumet's brother, Ebner Soumet, were both seventeenth-tier knights. Yet neither had ever been to war or stepped onto a battlefield. Without experiencing the trials of war, they were just one step short of the Saint rank.

  Charlot Mecklenburg's heart trembled slightly. He had already employed the secret art of Protagoras, one of humanity's great philosophers, activating the Agility Rune on his left leg. Four currents of Blood Glory surged into the other four Blood Vortices, increasing his speed by forty percent—any further improvement was impossible.

  Though Charlot had mastered four Blood Runes, relying on Insight, Bloodfme Aura, Swiftstep Technique, and Angel's Thorn, which granted him combat power comparable to mid-tier transcendents, he was still leagues behind in a duel against a true high-tier transcendent.

  Against Harriet Alva's pure combat energy, Charlot could still rely on Swiftstep Technique and Angel's Thorn to maneuver. However, the moment Harriet activated the Proof of War, one of the eight Knight Proofs, Charlot would be a fool to continue fighting head-on.

  Without hesitation, Charlot retreated further and further into the ruins of Machubi Fortress.

  Harriet's radiant combat energy transformed, faintly shrouded in a yer of blood aura as he strode forward with rge steps. He was utterly convinced that Charlot could not escape from him.

  Harriet's military saber moved with immense momentum, grand and imposing. Charlot fought while retreating, occasionally using Bloodfme Aura to channel his alchemical staff for ranged strikes. Their rapid skirmish soon shifted deep into the ruins of Machubi.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood and Venie Arsenault, acting as witnesses, rushed to keep up with the two combatants.

  Sylvie Martin, too, wanted to follow, but having not yet cultivated combat energy, she cked the acceleration necessary to keep pace with the four transcendents. Among them, three were high-tier transcendents.

  Even though Charlot himself wasn't high-tier, Swiftstep Technique and Protagoras' secret art allowed him to match ordinary high-tier transcendents in speed.

  Very soon, Sylvie Martin lost sight of everyone. She ran a little longer before realizing she was lost, and only then did fear begin to creep into her heart.

  She called out a few times but stopped, worried that her cries would disturb Charlot. No longer daring to shout, she searched the surroundings and found that every path looked unfamiliar. None of them matched the route she had taken earlier, and soon enough, she couldn't even determine her direction.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood and Venie Arsenault fared only slightly better than Sylvie but also soon lost sight of the duelists. It wasn't long before they, too, became separated from each other.

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood, an experienced old detective, quickly realized something was wrong when he found himself alone. He smmed a hand onto the ground, using the combat energy shockwaves to sense his surroundings. His expression turned to shock as he excimed, "It's a byrinth!"

  "A byrinth here? How could that be?"

  "Even if Machubi Fortress had been taken over by some powerful magical creature, it shouldn't be possible to form such a complete byrinth in such a short time!"

  Aubrey Tildon Atwood, a man decisive enough to establish the Fierce Horse Detective Agency, didn't hesitate to turn and sprint away. Although the paths before him constantly shifted, his experience dealing with byrinths served him well. Half an hour ter, he finally escaped from Machubi.

  Outside the fortress, Aubrey Tildon Atwood looked back, his heart still pounding with lingering fear, his gaze carrying deep dread.

  Venie Arsenault also soon realized something was wrong. Her response was far more graceful—this was the specialty domain of Cat Spirit Magic. She cast Cat Transformation and transformed into an agile desert cat, leaping onto a nearby building before disappearing into the fortress ruins.

  Charlot remained fully focused on his battle with Harriet Alva, unable to spare the attention to control the byrinth. Though it was a pity to let Aubrey Tildon Atwood escape, there was nothing he could do about it.

  Harriet's Proof of War manifested as a faintly unfurled blood-colored battle fg behind him, its aura weakening his enemies while empowering himself. Harriet's blood-tinged radiant combat energy carried an unsettling force that tugged at the spirit.

  Each csh of Charlot's alchemical staff against Harriet's military saber caused his Blood Glory to surge uncontrolbly, leaving his heart pounding and his mind unsettled, as though pgued by nausea.

  After exchanging several more blows with Harriet, Charlot took a deep breath, pivoted his body, and disappeared from sight.

  Harriet Alva, forged by years of military service and tempered in dozens of battles, had an unshakable confidence. No matter what trick Charlot pulled, he firmly believed he could break through it with his saber.

  The wave of blood radiating from the battle fg rippled outward, revealing the "target" immediately. Harriet lunged forward, striking fiercely, only to be met with a stab from a rapier that sent a powerful shock back through his bde. Surprised, he shouted, "Charlot! You've been hiding your strength!?"

  Swinging his saber in a reverse ssh, Harriet roared, "Even if you have tricks left, this fight will be your death!"

  The rapier parried his blow and unched a counterattack, the strikes fierce, ruthless, and powered by tremendous blood energy. The one wielding the sword was none other than Lord Leo.

  Lord Leo didn't know who Harriet was, but to him, a Fars Empire soldier was just another enemy. Killing him was sufficient—there was no need to ask further questions.

  Harriet's eyes widened as he realized the truth, shouting, "Charlot! You shameless coward! You're colluding with the Byron people and acting as a ckey for the vampires!"

  Charlot suppressed the discomfort caused by the Proof of War with his Blood Glory and shouted back, "My true name is Kainan, and I am a Byron man!"

  "To die at the hands of the Arthur royal lineage is the greatest honor you could ask for."

  Harriet cursed Charlot's shamelessness, but Charlot ignored him, pulling out the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and loading an Anti-magic Armor-Piercing Round.

  Harriet, as a high-tier transcendent knight, sensed danger instinctively and dodged just in time. A burst of fire streaked past him, striking the ground and leaving a deep crater.

  Taking advantage of Harriet's distraction, Lord Leo unched a flurry of quick strikes, forcing Harriet to struggle to defend himself, sweat pouring down his face.

  The two were evenly matched in strength—Lord Leo's masterful swordsmanship, infused with the Arthur Cn's esoteric techniques, was pitted against Harriet's solid, aggressive combat energy and honed military saber techniques. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a csh of equals.

  However, with Charlot lurking nearby and armed with a devastating Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, Harriet quickly fell into a disadvantage.

  Lord Leo was confident that he could sy this human powerhouse within twenty moves.