CHAPTER 33: THE OLD DUKE — ARMAND STEELHEART

The light around Cassian’s sword froze mid-surge as he widened his eyes slightly.

That voice... it was the voice of someone he really hoped would show up at this time.

Fortunately, before he could unleash a devastating attack that cost him his life, he showed up, and it seemed that he managed to break through the obstacle that’s been hindering him for a while.

If it was just maybe a little bit more than a second later, he might not be able to undo this.

Sigh!

A sigh could be heard, followed by a relieved voice. "Thank god, I’m not late."

A split second later, a middle-aged man in his late 50s appeared a few meters away from Cassian. His face looked similar to Cassian’s, with only a few differences, and he just looked a little bit older.

"Fortunately, you showed up in time, old man..." Cassian retracted all of the energy back to his body and dropped on the ground with a thud.

"I’ll leave the rest to you." Cassian covered his body with a thin, light energy barrier and laid himself down.

The middle-aged man spoke with a bitter smile. "You’ve done well. Leave everything else to me."

Cassian smiled in response before tilting his head and looking in Halden’s direction, noticing a broken jade on the molten ground near him as he was still fighting against two beasts.

"Thanks, Halden. I owe you one."

Halden replied with a hearty laugh. "You better take out that millennium wine this time."

"Sure, just don’t get drunk too fast like always." Cassian chuckled.

The middle-aged man shook his head helplessly and shouted, his voice reverberating in the surroundings. "Fight with everything you have! As long as your limbs are intact, you will be fine no matter how badly you’re injured."

Cassian smiled as he thought to himself. ’The Steelhearts are finally going to soar after this.’

Gareth, Nyxrael, Halden, and Corvin immediately fought more fiercely, as their objection this time was to kill the beasts instead of holding them back.

The Platinum Knights in the distance immediately became excited when they heard the familiar voice, especially for the knights who had served Steelhearts for years.

"It’s the voice of Old Duke Armand! He’s not dead!" A middle-aged man in his early 50s shouted happily as he blocked a claw attack from a tiger beast.

The other knights also got excited and started to increase their stances to become aggressive to the point of ignoring attacks that lead to small injury in exchange for injuring the beasts more than themselves.

On the other hand, the tyrant crocodile was silent this whole time. It had dispersed the fire within its mouth when it sensed Armand’s presence before.

It sensed an extreme danger from the human that just appeared and even had thought of fleeing the scene, but it felt that the human had already locked his attention on it.

The moment Armand looked at the crocodile after he shouted and ordered the others, the crocodile instantly shivered, as it could feel the terrifying power emitted from Armand.

Armand smiled faintly while unsheathing the sword on his waist. He walked toward the crocodile in a calm manner and chuckled. "Why do you even bother coming out of your nest just to be butchered by the others?"

He then vanished into thin air as he used the skill (Flash Step). The moment he reappeared, his sword had already descended toward the crocodile.

A blazing spark ignited between him and the Tyrant Crocodile as steel met molten scale. The collision sent shockwaves tearing through the field as flames erupted skyward, but Armand’s expression remained calm.

Armand used the 5th Move—The King’s Advance, each of his strikes carried the pressure of a King descending upon his enemies.

Every step forward pushed the enormous crocodile back, despite its massive size and defensive scales. The ground quaked beneath his boots, but Armand didn’t falter as his swordsmanship flowed with rhythm.

The Tyrant Crocodile roared in fury, snapping its jaws wide, using its (Infernal Maul) skill.

Its fangs glowed molten red, biting down with terrifying speed. The air warped from the sheer heat, and the world seemed to slow for a heartbeat, but only for Armand’s form to flicker out of existence.

"Too Slow." Armand chuckled and appeared above the crocodile’s head.

He swung his blade, spinning twice, then descended down ferociously. A pillar of light burst forth as he cleaved through a portion of its snout, splattering molten blood across the scorched terrain.

The crocodile shrieked in agony, its massive body thrashing violently.

Armand landed lightly with a calm expression, then continued his attack as he used the 6th Move—Unbroken Circle this time.

Every swing of his sword connected seamlessly with no openings, no hesitation, and no pause. It was as if the flow of battle had flowed entirely up to him. The light of his blade slashed through the air like golden rivers.

The Tyrant Crocodile roared in frustration, unleashing its skill (Magma Dominion) and summoning its domain in retaliation.

The ground split apart, molten lava spewing forth in violent torrents. The battlefield became an inferno once again, with the very air distorting from the heat. Yet within that intense hellscape, Armand’s figure shone like a sun.

With every step, the lava parted under his aura. His sword danced effortlessly, carving paths of light through molten waves. The crocodile lunged with its tail, molten scales glowing crimson as it swung to crush him.

BOOM!

The tail slammed down, obliterating a crater into the ground. But before it could retract, Armand had already reappeared above it, his sword piercing through the back.

The crocodile bellowed in agony as molten blood splattered across the ground.

"You should’ve stayed in your swamp."

He twisted his blade and unleashed his (Luminous Severance) skill. A radiant crescent cleaved through the sky, cutting through the tail entirely before continuing downward, slicing deep into the creature’s back.

The crocodile stumbled and roared, fury erupting into flames as it used its (Crimson Scale Fortification) skill.

Its scales blazed with fiery veins, turning its body into a living fortress. Even so, Armand showed no sign of slowing down.

He shifted seamlessly into another stance, continuing the 7th Move Unbroken Circle, his light-infused strikes hammering relentlessly.

Each hit shook the creature’s defense, each swing radiating precision honed from decades of mastery. Sparks of light danced with the infernal blaze of the beast’s scales, creating a storm of gold and red.

The crocodile writhed and finally used the (Flameborn Regeneration) skill. Its wounds began to knit together under the scorching heat of the molten ground.

Armand’s lips curled in disdain. "Not bad for a big lizard."

The crocodile thrashed as it swung its claws wildly, but Armand’s movement was fluid as he dodged, parried, and countered with such precision.

The light around him thickened as he sustained the Unbroken Circle, every rotation of his blade releasing arcs of radiant destruction.

The crocodile staggered back, its armor-like scales shattered and blackened. Its furious eyes burned hotter, but the flicker of desperation finally appeared.

Then, the crocodile roared as it used its ultimate skill (Blazing Sovereignty).

Flames burst from every pore of its body, converging toward its mouth. Crimson fire condensed into a sphere of annihilation as pure destruction started to form. The ground in the surroundings trembled as the crocodile prepared its final attack.

Even Armand’s hair fluttered violently under the pressure. He then exhaled softly.

His blade gleamed as light wrapped around him, forming an aura so bright it pierced through the molten haze. He then raised his sword high and mumbled to himself.

"Seventh Move—Crushing Majesty!"

The world went silent for a single heartbeat.

A colossal wave of brilliance split the land in two, tearing through the magma and air alike. The moment the blade fell, the crocodile’s beam of fire shattered instantly.

The blast continued forward, cleanly splitting the crocodile’s body in half. Its molten blood sizzled against the ground.

BOOM!!

A thunderous explosion followed.

Armand lowered his sword slowly, the light fading from the blade as he exhaled softly.

"Next time..." He muttered, looking toward Cassian, "Don’t act recklessly, and try relying on your old man more. Even if I haven’t broken through to the Transcendent Rank yet, it shouldn’t be a big problem for us to kill the crocodile even though at the cost of heavy injuries."

He sheathed his sword, his aura fading into the heat-hazed air.

"I know... But you were at a critical moment in your breakthrough. What if—"

Before Cassian could finish his sentence, Armand cut him off. "You think too much."

He waved his hand and stored the crocodile’s carcass in his spatial ring. "Go stand by and help the others in case they’re in danger."

"Alright, alright." Cassian stood up lazily before vanishing into thin air. He appeared somewhere quite far from the Platinum Knights’ battlefield, watching the battle with a satisfied expression while preparing himself to step in at any moment.

A few minutes later, all of the beasts had been killed and cleaned up.

"Dad, you finally broke through the shackles that held you back for so long." Gareth said with a smile, looking at his father, who had become younger.

"It’s all thanks to James’s sword. At the critical time, it helped me break through the barrier as my comprehension was doubled." Armand replied with a chuckle.

"James’s sword?" Gareth raised his eyebrows since he had no idea what Armand was talking about.

"Let’s talk about it later." Armand smiled faintly and waved his hand. Then, he looked at Nyxrael, who stood at a distance after he killed the beasts, adjusting his breath.

"Is that him?" Armand asked curiously, as he had heard the story about James from Cassian when he handed him the sword before.

Cassian replied with a smile. "Yup, it’s him. His comprehension is also terrifying."

Arman nodded satisfiedly before looking at the surroundings and deep into the Blackfang Mountains. "Let’s return and see whether James has successfully integrated his physique. There’s no point in lingering here any longer."

...