“Deal!”
Tana almost couldn’t wait to agree.
After all, according to what Wu Ming had said and considering her own calculations, there was truly no risk involved.
In fact, she might even obtain a noble title!
This was simply too good to be true, like something out of a dream.
Seeming to realize she had sounded too eager, Tana blushed slightly and explained, “It was my husband who originally took Alfred in, but both my husband and I were deceived by his innocent lamb-like appearance. Who would have thought that beneath that exterior lay a vicious wolf in sheep’s clothing, who even ended up killing my husband!”
“…”
Wu Ming was momentarily speechless.
He didn’t believe in such clichéd stories for a second. If he were to believe anything, it was more likely that this woman had seduced Alfred and played a role in his husband’s death. But so what?
Whether it was truly for revenge or driven by ambition, he only believed in one thing.
Wouldn’t it be much better to be in charge oneself rather than letting someone else be the leader? Not to mention the reward of a noble title!
Under such a huge temptation, unless Tana was a chaste virgin, she was bound to waver.
No! Even if it wasn’t Tana, but rather another second-in-command of a team, anyone in the number two position would most likely waver!
And judging from how she had started using her body as a weapon the moment she saw Wu Ming, was Tana really the kind of woman who would remain faithful and devoted to her husband?
“I will win the one-on-one duel and become a knight. And if our plan succeeds, you will also receive a fief… Believe me, we will have many, many opportunities to work together in the future…”
Wu Ming said naturally, as if it were a given. With a slight movement, he vanished behind the curtain.
“Nobility? Opportunities?”
Tana stood at the edge of the window, feeling a deep chill.
Before tomorrow’s outcome was even known, a man had made such a guarantee. If it were anyone else, she would certainly scoff at them.
But if it were William… perhaps there was indeed some possibility?
…
Compared to the Wolf’s Heart Mercenary Group, which remained on alert the entire night, Wu Ming slept soundly and arrived at the venue the next day, full of energy.
“My dear William!”
As soon as he reached the backstage area, Alfred approached with a sorrowful expression: “I heard about the unfortunate incident you experienced yesterday, and I truly regret hearing about it…”
“Oh? I don’t really feel any regret about it…”
Wu Ming smiled: “No matter how many vermin like him come, they can only be easily crushed by me…”
Clearly, Alfred not only failed to provoke Wu Ming’s anger but ended up getting quite worked up himself.
“I won’t hold back in today’s final match!”
Wu Ming walked past Alfred and softly uttered these words, which caused the young regimental commander’s expression to change drastically.
Adrian silently observed the scene, his face filled with contemplation.
The first match of the semifinals! It will be between the freeman William and the leader of the Wolf’s Heart Mercenary Group, Alfred!
As if fate had destined them to face each other, the referee loudly announced the first match’s participants.
“Neigh!”
The gates opened, and two steeds galloped into the battlefield like lightning.
Wu Ming wore a tight-fitting shirt, his hair slightly tied back, exuding an air of unrestrained confidence.
Alfred, although fully armed, had changed into lighter chainmail, clearly having studied Wu Ming’s fighting style carefully.
“Charge!”
At this moment, both men knew that their conflict had become almost irreconcilable and could only be resolved through a deadly duel. Today, only one of them would leave the battlefield alive.
The spectators in the stands were completely unaware of the underlying tensions, enthusiastically cheering for their heroes.
Bang!
In an instant, two lances collided, instantly shattering with an ear-piercing sound.
Alfred’s mount immediately collapsed to its knees, throwing him off its back.
However, in this mounted combat, there was no rule stating that falling off your horse meant immediate defeat. The fight had to continue until one side was completely incapacitated.
Seeing Alfred thrown from his horse, many noblewomen in the audience let out startled cries.
Then, something even more astonishing occurred.
Whoosh!
With a sinister grin, Alfred suddenly drew his massive two-handed sword from his back.
A faint blue glow flashed, and Wu Ming’s mount, the giant black horse, had its head severed instantly.
Blood sprayed everywhere, attesting to the sharpness of this deadly weapon!
It had an unusual design, with dark red blood grooves and two razor-sharp edges. The blade shimmered with a faint blue glow!
“The Dragonheart!”
Lord Lanshaw immediately stood up, his face displaying a mix of emotions: “It’s the Dragonheart sword!”
“The legendary sword once wielded by the Conqueror Taler?”
Viscount Garcia beside him also watched Alfred with great interest: “It seems… this one is also a descendant of noble blood! A landless knight perhaps?”
“It’s actually the Dragonheart. Even now, its sharpness can rank within the top ten in the Windfly Plains!”
Adrian watched the scene unfold, murmuring to himself: “It seems… the one who will be competing with me for the championship is this Alfred after all!”
He was very certain that William had not undergone the knighthood ceremony.
The opponent merely possessed exceptional skills, had trained his body to its limits, and had extensive experience.
An ordinary knight might not be his match, but Alfred was no ordinary knight. With such a weapon… Adrian couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about William’s future.
“So it was indeed you who bought the Dragonheart sword at that auction!”
Wu Ming landed gracefully on the ground, looking at Alfred who was holding the two-handed sword: “You were also the one who sent people to assassinate me after the black market incident, weren’t you?”
“Unfortunately… my subordinates were all a bunch of useless fools!”
Alfred spat angrily: “Now I will personally put an end to this mistake once and for all!”
“No!”
“They weren’t all useless!”
Wu Ming drew his regular high-quality steel sword from his waist, correcting him: “At the very least… that Tana was quite a temptress, wasn’t she?”
At Wu Ming’s current expression, Alfred instantly felt a surge of jealousy.
Letting out a loud roar, he charged forward in a rage, swinging his sword.
Clang!
The two swords collided. Wu Ming immediately retreated, looking at his steel sword with a slight frown.
On the blade, there was now a small grain-sized chip.
“How can your sword possibly match the sharpness of Dragonheart?”
Alfred shouted: “As a blue-blooded descendant of Taler the First, I have gained the recognition of the Dragonheart sword. You will surely be crushed beneath my feet, becoming the stepping stone for me to restore my family’s honor!”
Wu Ming had also heard the legends of the Dragonheart sword.
According to the legends, only the blood descendants who gained its recognition could unleash its true power.
If the Dragonheart was in the hands of a noble with blue blood, it would become as light as a feather and indestructible. Conversely, if it fell into the hands of a non-blood descendant, it would become extremely heavy.
This was originally a supernatural weapon with bloodline restrictions!
Wu Ming had been somewhat skeptical before, but now seeing Alfred’s performance, he immediately believed it.
Clang! Clash!
Having obtained the Dragonheart, Alfred became frenzied and launched a fierce attack. His sword struck like a storm, colliding with Wu Ming’s sword repeatedly, producing crisp sounds.
Ping!
After countless clashes, Wu Ming’s steel sword suddenly shattered, leaving only the hilt in his hand.
“Haha… Die!”
Alfred rushed forward and swung his sword down.
“Ahh!”
On the spectator stand, knight Takur couldn’t help but cry out in alarm, while Fei held her lips, her face unable to hide her delight.
Just when everyone thought the miraculous William was about to lose his head, Wu Ming’s eyes darkened. Suddenly, he threw the hilt in his hand.
Whoosh!
The hilt flew at such a close range with extraordinary force, creating a streak of light, accurately striking the Dragonheart sword.
Alfred’s downward swing faltered slightly, and the Dragonheart sword flashed, deflecting the broken hilt.
At the same time, Wu Ming moved like a ghost, appearing in front of him. Taking advantage of the moment when Alfred’s wrist went numb, his hands moved like fluttering butterflies, precisely grabbing the hilt of the sword.
Disarming! Unarmed against a blade!
A faint blue liquid flickered in his previously empty hands.
Then, without hesitation, Wu Ming gripped the Dragonheart sword tightly and swung it down.
“No… it’s impossible…”
Alfred staggered backward several steps, his expression an odd mixture of disbelief, as if he had seen something utterly inconceivable: “How can you wield the Dragonheart?”
Before Wu Ming could answer, a long red line appeared across Alfred’s forehead, continuing downward.
“How could this happen?!”
The scene had unfolded too quickly for the audience to comprehend. Even Viscount Garcia and the others on the stands only saw William’s sword break before he instantly disarmed Alfred and killed him with the Dragonheart.
“Another blue-blood!”
Lord Lanshaw looked at William in the arena with surprise, then suddenly turned his gaze toward Baron Terry from Niya Town.
“Cough… cough…”
Baron Terry’s face turned red as he whispered, “It’s not me!”
However, given the decadent lifestyle of nobility, even he couldn’t be certain whether this William shared any blood relation with his forebears.
Feeling the sword in his hand growing increasingly heavy, Wu Ming planted the Dragonheart into the ground. Looking at his palm, he saw the blue blood had completely vanished, as if absorbed by the sword.
William naturally didn’t possess blue blood, but Beatrice did!
Ever since he had suspected Alfred’s identity in the black market auction and learned of the Dragonheart sword’s legend, Wu Ming had immediately made preparations.
During this time, he had repeatedly extracted Beatrice’s blood, purifying a certain amount of blue blood, originally intended for the creation of sacred knight oil.
But now, he had a sudden inspiration and used it on the Dragonheart sword, achieving surprisingly effective results.
“But… using blue blood as a medium can only grant temporary control. Once the blue blood is depleted, everything will revert to the original state, right?”
If the Dragonheart sword was the treasure, then the blue blood was the key to unlock it.
After losing the blue blood, Wu Ming felt the weight of the sword was indeed heavier than he had anticipated.
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