“The great Lord of Shadows watches everything in secret!”
The figure within the mist cackled shrilly, its voice piercing like the cry of an owl at night: “But you must offer a sacrifice to appease the great Lord of Shadows, just as you did twenty years ago!”
The Duke of Wellington closed his eyes in pain.
That was the year when he held no high position within his family; the true heir was his elder brother, a being who seemed to embody the glory of all gods.
To seize supreme authority, he challenged for the throne of succession. After a devastating defeat, the Duke encountered a group calling themselves the “Hand of Shadows,” serving an entity known as the Lord of Shadows.
Under the temptation of evil power, he made his demands and sacrificed his beloved… Since that day, although he had become the Duke of Wellington as he wished, he felt his heart had plunged into darkness.
“What do you want this time…”
His voice was hoarse, like a desert traveler on the verge of death from thirst.
“All of your children’s souls!”
The figure from the shadows named the price.
“What?”
The Duke of Wellington was shocked: “That’s too high a price. I do this to preserve the family, but if I become childless, the Wellington family will eventually fall into someone else’s hands. What meaning would that hold for me?”
“You perhaps have not fully grasped my meaning… I mean all of your children who are by your side now!”
The figure from the shadows cackled, yet it seemed tinged with bitterness: “Our Lord requires sacrifices—the stronger and more perfect, the better… Originally, if your little Arthur were still alive, either offering his soul or that Excalibur would have been enough to please our Lord and fulfill any of your wishes. But now…”
“Then I have another condition: you must rescue Arthur!”
The Duke of Wellington deeply understood the power of the Lord of Shadows. Although it was not widely known in the land of Seer, the Hand of Shadows was a vast dark organization whose influence spread across nearly every region.
The Lord of Shadows’ power was also genuine, capable of performing miracles at least partially, surpassing those so-called gods who bore divine names but possessed no strength.
Perhaps only the true god of the Church, who had once displayed miracles, could rival it.
“Deal…”
The dark figure smiled, and immediately the black card burst into flames.
Emerald-green flames danced wildly in the darkness, as if demons and devils were celebrating…
…
“My King, once we cross the mountain ahead, we will be able to see Lionheart City!”
Inside the military camp, after a day’s march, the two hundred thousand troops had set up camp in perfect order. Viscount Balle brought reports from the scouts.
With maps and the help of Garcia and several surrendered highland lords, the Blue Dragon Coalition’s advance through the highlands had proceeded quite smoothly.
“They have gathered tens of thousands; it seems they are preparing for a desperate resistance!”
Viscount Balle seemed somewhat excited: “Why don’t we surround Lionheart City directly and send other troops to sweep the entire highlands?”
“An excellent plan!”
Wu Ming nodded in praise.
Once the highlands were captured, the remaining Lionheart City, despite its tens of thousands of troops, would be of little consequence.
“Just… a gathering of peasants and serfs, thinking they can stop me in my tracks?”
He smiled: “Viscount Balle, I can assure you that the towering walls of Lionheart City won’t be able to hold me up for even a moment!”
“Our wooden cannon units have suffered significant wear after repeated use and must be remade…”
Viscount Balle was somewhat puzzled, unsure where Wu Ming’s confidence came from.
“Do you really think all I’ve done over these years is master the wooden cannon technology?”
Wu Ming watched his retreating figure with a sense of helplessness.
Even if the wooden cannons were insufficient, with gunpowder at his disposal, tunneling beneath the city walls for an explosion would be an excellent siege tactic.
Of course, he had other preparations as well. With multiple strategies combined, he had no fear of Lionheart City’s formidable defenses.
Those Red Lions, relying on their walls and gathering tens of thousands of troops, hoped to make Lionheart City a quagmire to trap him. How could such a wish possibly come true?
“Just…”
Wu Ming furrowed his brows.
At this moment, the power of the people surged within him, almost rivaling that of the Conqueror King. Additionally, the perception granted by his True Spirit gave him a prickling sense of danger, as if a specific plot against him had already taken shape.
“This scheme should pose a certain danger to me…”
A spark of excitement flickered in Wu Ming’s eyes: “I almost thought that, in this world, no one could threaten me anymore!”
“Summon someone!”
He thought for a moment and gave orders.
Immediately, several knights entered and respectfully saluted: “Bring Arthur, and… you must guard this tent closely and remain on standby at all times. The Watchers should all come to my vicinity for protection!”
At present, even if Stormhorn or any other lord were to rebel, Wu Ming had sufficient time to respond. Therefore, his only vulnerability lay in his personal safety, with Arthur being another unstable factor.
After calculating all this, it was natural to take targeted precautions.
Calling upon capable knights and mages below him was also for this reason. He had no intention of fighting his opponent one-on-one. As a leader of forces, he naturally should overwhelm his enemy with countless lives, using strength to crush weakness, and numbers to overwhelm isolation! At this point, giving the enemy a fair duel would simply be acting like a foolish teenager.
Night fell.
Campfires dotted the military encampment.
In the main tent, Wu Ming faced a golden tray before him, on which lay golden roasted lamb chops, borscht, and fruits for dessert.
Across the table, Arthur’s face was pale, but he still managed to maintain noble etiquette, bowing respectfully first. His eyes instinctively fixed on the lavish dinner, as he swallowed hard: “Thank you for granting me the opportunity to dine with you!”
“Sit down!”
Wu Ming waved dismissively, sending the pageboys and guards away.
After all, Arthur was no match for him, so they felt quite at ease.
Yet this young man seemed somewhat unwilling. At least half of his current voracious eating was an act, meant to elicit sympathy from Wu Ming.
Wu Ming felt somewhat helpless inside and then drew a stone broken sword.
At the moment Arthur saw it, his movement froze.
“The Lionheart King’s Proof of Kingship—the Holy Excalibur, which only recognizes the true king!”
Wu Ming displayed the sword’s glow with a smile: “It once belonged to you!”
This time, Arthur was genuinely horrified. That the Conqueror King could lift the Excalibur had already been extremely incredible, but back then, the Excalibur was merely an ordinary stone sword.
Now that it emitted light, it meant its power could be used.
“Could it be that I am not the true king?”
This blow to Arthur was beyond compare.
Though Wu Ming appeared calm on the surface, his inner thoughts were serious. His powerful spirit tightly suppressed the Excalibur’s call for its master.
“The seal on this Excalibur can be divided into four layers. The first is a contact curse; no one unacknowledged can even touch it!”
“The second is personal enhancement; once activated, the knight’s abilities will be greatly boosted.”
“The third is a small-range enhancement, and the fourth should be summoning heroic spirits for large-scale battlefield enhancement!”
Currently, Wu Ming had barely deciphered the second layer of the seal. However, with his original qualities, wielding the Excalibur meant no knight could withstand even a single strike from him.
“Now, it already belongs to you!”
Arthur put down his knife and fork, staring straight at the glow of the Excalibur, his voice hoarse.
At this, Wu Ming immediately sensed the resistance within the Excalibur weakening slightly, forming a hypothesis in his mind: “A contract and ritual?”
Some magical weapons must defeat their original master and gain his recognition to truly change hands, much like a magical ritual.
Of course, the core of the Excalibur wouldn’t be so simple.
“Arthur, as my prisoner, I grant your father the right to ransom you, but until then, everything about you belongs to my will!”
The approaching shadow in his mind made Wu Ming rise and stand before Arthur, his gaze imposing and calm: “Now… I want a cup of your blood!”
Under his intense stare, even Arthur had no choice but to yield, cutting his palm with a dinner knife and pouring his blood into a silver goblet.
“Good!”
Wu Ming picked up the silver goblet, his eyes gleaming with sharpness as he pondered silently: “Using blood sacrifice techniques should be able to break through the third layer of the Excalibur’s seal, greatly enhancing its power. Except for still being unable to summon heroic spirits, it should now be able to withstand my full strength.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At that moment, a breeze blew across his face, lifting a corner of the tent.
A stream of black mist seeped in through the gap, layering upon itself to form a human-like figure.
This strange sight left Arthur feeling as if someone had clamped a hand over his throat, rendering him speechless.
“A shadow?”
Wu Ming, however, remained calm, glancing indifferently at the figure: “You dare to come here to assassinate me? Don’t you fear the guards outside?”
“Hehe… Guards? Under my Silence Barrier, you can try calling them!”
The black figure had a humanoid shape, and its blood-red eyes turned to Arthur: “Good… You’re both here!”
“Who are you?”
A vague possibility surfaced in Arthur’s mind, bringing a flicker of wild hope.
Whoosh!
In the next moment, the shadow darted like lightning toward Wu Ming, a snow-white dagger materializing in its hand.
Clang!
Wu Ming raised his sword to block, and the Excalibur erupted in golden flames. Upon impact with the dagger, the blade shattered entirely, and the flames unrelenting, struck the shadow figure.
“Ahh!”
A scream rang out, and the shadow figure howled, its body losing much of its shadowy substance.
“Weak! Too weak! Not you! Send out the real one!”
Wu Ming held the sword in one hand, solemnly declaring.
“My… my Lord…”
The dark shadow roared out a few words, and its aura abruptly changed!
A vast and malevolent will suddenly descended!
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