The First Magic World War

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Charles's greatest advantage lay in the spiritual enhancement brought about by facing the Evil God twice, which allowed him to make rapid progress in cultivating the Bloody Glory during the time he crossed over. It was only recently that his progress had fallen back to the level of a "normal genius."

Even so, the improved spirituality still gave Charles a distinctive edge in certain aspects. For example, when he could control multiple targets at once, he didn't find it odd while using Flame Hand, thinking it was normal. But now, wielding dual swords and executing combined offensive and defensive maneuvers, each sword performing its own intricate changes as if he were directing limbs, he finally had an epiphany.

After several hundred exchanges, Ban Lanmalock gradually gained the upper hand. His cultivation was after all more profound than Charles's, and he had been practicing his gunmanship for much longer. In terms of battle experience, the two were comparable; Charles's hundreds of duels in the Dreamscape, along with several battlefield skirmishes, compensated for his shorter period of practice. All in all, however, Ban Lanmalock was a bit stronger.

As Charles's swords danced in the air, he began to feel overwhelmed. Just when everyone thought the situation would not change, he suddenly switched his dual sword technique, employing a different style of swordsmanship with each sword.

Though they were both techniques from Angel's Twelve Cantos, the sword in his left hand was like the rising sun, morning light, the ocean; while the one in his right was like dusk, night, indistinct—like they were split into two, two swordsmen of similar skill fighting together. This immediately balanced out the disadvantage and brought the fight back to a sequence of attacks and defenses, a back-and-forth exchange.

Outsiders could not fathom the subtlety of this technique, but Julian, who had also practiced Angel's Twelve Cantos, recognized the brilliance. He thought to himself, "So the Asilo Clan's swordsmanship can also be used this way."

Julian knew that Charles's swordsmanship surpassed his own, and he was aware that the first six cantos and the latter six of Angel's Twelve Cantos were entirely different. The first six ranged from dawn to sunset, whereas the latter six began with dusk. In other words, the essence of the Asilo Clan's swordsmanship lay in the latter six cantos.

Of course, Charles could not possibly double the power of Angel's Twelve Cantos, so he used one hand's technique as the primary force, going all out, while the other hand's technique played a supporting role, employing only the first six cantos. It appeared as if the swords were equally powerful, but in reality, they were quite different. It was just that those not well-versed in Asilo Clan's swordsmanship could not see the subtleties at all.

Especially the first six cantos of Angel's Twelve Cantos, which were so bright and grand that they showed no signs of weakness.

As the fierce duel escalated, Charles's sword techniques alternated between both hands, his left hand's sword like dusk, night, dimness; while his right hand's sword was like the rising sun, morning light, the ocean—immediately gaining the upper hand.

Ban Lanmalock was hailed as Notruden's youngest lion, and although he was several years younger than Charles, he had been practicing various Transcendent methods since childhood and had a stronger foundation. Despite being unable to fully cope with Charles's dizzying array of swordsmanship, he managed to guard himself firmly, wielding his Knight's Spear to fend off Charles, keeping him at a distance of five steps.

After Charles launched three consecutive sword strikes, he was slightly moved in realization that Ban Lanmalock's Knight's Spear was positioned perfectly to intercept every attack. He recognized that his two-handed sword technique had been figured out by his opponent.

He did not continue to change his moves and instead threw a rapier, which landed on the shore, in front of Anatasiya, leaving himself with only one rapier. His aura suddenly surged with increased intensity.

At just a glance, Julian couldn't help but exclaim, "The Ninth Canto: Nocturnal Elegy!"

This was a world of Transcendents; even in the Asilo Clan, very few people specialized in both swordsmanship and gunmanship. Most channeled the majority of their effort into developing various special abilities.

For example, one could cultivate the Colorless Blade or possess stronger Stellar Battle Qi, and even if their swordsmanship was slightly inferior, with their versatile and unpredictable sword glow, they could overpower the opponent.

Julian had only cultivated Angel's Thorn to the level of Wings of the Hatchling Dragon, not because he couldn't advance further, but because beyond that, everything starting with Wings of the Hatchling Dragon, like Colorless Blade, Fierce Corrosion, and Dark Corrosion, was based on Stellar Battle Qi.

His main focus was gunmanship, so there was no need for him to invest that much into swordsmanship.

Though Julian reckoned he might reach Charles's level of mastery in Angel's Twelve Cantos by the same age if he dedicated himself fully, he was still astonished by his "good friend's" innate talent for swordsmanship.

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At this moment, the Cervantes River was covered with floating ice due to their battle, frozen by Ban Lanmalock's Frost Dragon Fighting Qi. Countless round tables of floating ice dotted the river surface, creating a marvelously unique sight.

When Charles Meklen made a breakthrough just before battle, unleashing the Ninth Symphony: Nocturnal Elegy, the entire river seemed to be draped in a layer of night. Only Charles's movement technique across the battlefield could be seen, like a soulful cat in the dark, elegant, light, but harboring a lethal intent, ready to explode with a fatal strike at any moment. Your next read is at My Virtual Library Empire

Their duel escalated once again after Charles abandoned a rapier.

Emperor Alfred Guillaume watched with intense satisfaction, and glancing around, he asked, "Ban Lanmalock is our youngest lion in Notruden. What title suits Charles Meklen?"

Count Sumei spoke indifferently, "Charles isn't young anymore."

His Majesty the Emperor responded with a small 'oh' and returned his focus to the duel.

Aurora couldn't help but roll her eyes; she knew what her father meant. If Charles were too favored in front of the Emperor, it would unleash a series of consequences, such as... her career competition getting tougher.

Aurora herself wasn't young anymore.

Despite being of noble birth and having a good father, it took her five or six years to rise to the rank of Nineteenth Equivalent Participant, a cultural commissioner for the diplomatic official's residence, after graduating from university.

Just a few years after university, reaching such a position showed Aurora's excellence, but for a young lady, it was an age when the roses began to wilt.

In the first few years, Count Sumei was quite picky about his son-in-law.

A few years earlier, there were many harsh conditions.

But now, the count had reached the point of "even a man from Fars would do."

Julian came from one of the three imperial clans, the Asiluo Clan, where home education had ensured that he studied systematically, and so he was now a freshman at university.

Ban Lanmalock's father was a renowned warrior across the Old Continent, a very young man when he advanced to the Sacred Order, and he took an aggressive approach to his son's education, setting Zimmerman Axel Robin as the benchmark. As a result, this young man entered university at twelve and graduated in just a year and a half.

Aurora's difficulty in accepting Ban Lanmalock was partly due to his excessive straightforwardness, his steely demeanor, as well as the age difference...

To her, Ban Lanmalock was simply too young.

Charles's griffin suddenly let out a clear, piercing cry, and he revealed the first genuinely heartfelt smile since the battle began, crying out, "Mr. Ban Lanmalock!"

"The warm-up is over."