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    Aru, I don''t deserve to seek forgiveness, but I hope that you will listen to the words of this sinful man. I don''t care if I die today, but please protect my daughter and grant her a happy life.

    The giant opened his eyes after praying to the benevolent god.

    "You may rise." The bishop muttered.

    The giant stood up causing the chains wrapped around his limbs to make a series of clanking sounds.

    "Are both representatives for the sacred duel ready?" The bishop eyed the two with a calm gaze.

    Alaric and the giant nodded.

    "Please step into the battle platform! The sacred duel will begin shortly!"

    With the announcement from the bishop, everyone watched as the two fighters walked onto the stage step by step.

    "Will Lord Alaric be alright?" Aldrin muttered with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

    "Of course! Haven''t you seen Lord Alaric''s swordsmanship?" Rigor responded with a gloomy look. He was also uncertain about how this duel would end.

    "This might be a hard battle...That is no ordinary man. His mana is stable and his physique is akin to that of a beast. He should be close to the realm of Elite Knights." Warrick muttered with his eyebrows knitted closely together.

    The warriors of House Silversword were starting to get worried for their lord. They didn''t expect that House Paxley would actually send a man of this caliber in the sacred duel.

    Meanwhile, Hershey who was spectating together with her family was praying to Aru.

    Oh, Aru! Please protect Lord Alaric!

    At this moment, the bishop jumped onto the stage and stood in between the representatives. "The result of this sacred duel will determine the fate of Liam Paxley! Whatever happens, I hope that everyone will respect the outcome..."

    The bishop gave a short speech before he announced the commencement of the duel.

    "...Begin!"

    Alaric stared at the giant as he unsheathed his swords.

    "That is the mark of a criminal branded on your body. I won''t hesitate to kill you." Alaric muttered when he saw the brand on the giant''s neck.

    This marking was given to the criminals on death row so he was familiar with it.

    The giant didn''t say anything and just stared deeply at him.

    He looks so young. He should be as old as my daughter.

    Seeing that his enemy was silent, Alaric no longer said anything. He immediately unleashed his mana and subsequently gathered them into his arms.

    As the powerful energy surged forth, he released a quick burst of sword strikes.

    Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

    The giant narrowed his eyes. He didn''t expect this young Knight to summon such a powerful force.

    He is faster than me. I can''t block all of his strikes.

    Knowing that he couldn''t block everything, the giant used his halberd to protect his vital organs.

    Clang! Clang!

    Sword wounds appeared on his body as Alaric''s slashes connected, but the giant didn''t even flinch. His eyes remained serene, seemingly unbothered by the pain.

    Alaric frowned upon seeing this.

    I only managed to leave some shallow cuts.

    Suddenly, he saw a flash of light in front of his eyes which made him instinctively pull his head.

    Bang!

    What?!

    Alaric glanced at the halberd that almost crushed him.

    He finally realized that the giant wasn''t just foolishly receiving his strikes, he was actually preparing for that one big attack!

    Meanwhile, Hershey broke into tears.

    "No!" She rushed into the battle platform, but the warriors of House Paxley stopped her.

    "My lady, please calm down! We will be punished if we break the sacred covenant!"

    Hershey ignored their words and tried to break free from their grasp. "Lord Alaric!" She screamed.

    Suddenly, a furious Vivian approached and gave her a resounding slap.

    Pa!

    "Are you crazy?! Do you plan to destroy our family?!" Vivian shouted with a sharp, angry tone.

    Hershey grabbed her face while staring at the frail figure on the platform.

    "Stop embarrassing us, Hershey!" Vivian muttered with an exasperated expression.

    She then sent the warriors a knowing look as she uttered in a commanding tone. "Keep an eye on her and make sure that she won''t do anything foolish!"

    "Yes, my lady!" The warriors responded.

    ...

    On top of the platform, Alaric spat a mouthful of blood.

    He could feel his innards contorting with pain.

    It looks like I broke a few ribs.

    His face was pale and full of sweat.

    If my endurance was a little lower, that attack would have ended me.

    Unlike the goblin chieftain whose attack patterns were predictable, this giant was clearly more skilled.

    Now, how can I win against this man?

    Alaric observed the giant with a serious look on his face.

    I have to survive first!

    At that moment, the giant''s halberd struck once more.

    Alaric gritted his teeth and made a quick slide in between the giant''s legs. He then brandished his swords.

    Ksshhhhkk!!

    Ksshhhhkk!!

    The giant tumbled after Alaric left deep cuts on his legs, but he quickly stabilized himself by stabbing his halberd firmly into the stone platform.

    Alaric took a deep breath.

    The cuts aren''t deep enough to cut his tendons.

    He felt resistance when he slashed his swords which means that the giant was able to gather mana into his legs to protect his tendons.

    I almost got him! I just need to focus on his legs. Once he loses balance, he won''t be able to block my sword anymore.

    Thinking about this, Alaric wiped off the blood at the corner of his lips and rushed out.

    His body was screaming with pain, but he pushed himself to the limits.

    Bang! Bang!

    The giant swung his halberd. However, he was unable to land a direct hit.

    Bang! Bang!

    Upon getting closer, Alaric suddenly swooped down.

    The giant had already anticipated this. He took a step back and raised his left arm before releasing a downward punch.

    Bang!