Erich's eyes glowed crimson as he swept his gaze around.

'So this is how you intend to play it?'

Erich quietly raised the corners of his mouth. He, too, had not entirely ruled out the possibility that the grand duchess would take such action.

However, to orchestrate such a bold move right in front of the grand duke—this exceeded even Erich's expectations for audacity. Of course, behind it all, there must have been imperial approval.

― Clack.

Erich pressed his foot down firmly on the chest of a fallen Imperial Knight. The knight was still dazed from Erich's blow, unable to regain his senses.

Other Imperial Knights measured the distance between themselves and Erich, slowly edging into striking range.

"Carl! Hanson! Attack him together!"

The highly tense Imperial Knights rushed in at once. Erich, perceiving their every movement as much as he could, took a step forward.

― Kagagagak!

Erich blocked the oncoming attack of an Imperial Knight, deflected it, and slid his sword diagonally between the knight's shoulder armor.

Confirming the twisted expression on his opponent's face, Erich twisted and withdrew his sword.

― Chwaaaak!

A red stream of blood stained the golden armor. But immediately, attacks from two more knights crashed in. Erich detected their every move.

As if he really did have eyes in the back of his head, Erich dodged the incoming attacks without even looking, then swiftly pivoted.

His sword grazed the shins of the two knights who had rushed in.

― Tudududuk!

With a cut deep enough to sever the leather straps binding the armor, Erich's attack left its mark. As their stances crumbled, Erich grabbed hold of their armor and slammed them straight into the ground.

― Kwaang!

Except for the first opponent, Erich subdued three knights in the blink of an eye. At the sight, the remaining Imperial Knights dared not move a step.

Then, as if waking from their trance, the spectators watching this spectacle suddenly erupted into thunderous cheers.

"Uwaaaaaa!"

To handle knights who symbolized the Empire as if they were mere children, and to do so as Erich—the much-scorned illegitimate son of House Krupp. The rebellion of the underdog always stirred excitement.

All cheered for Erich. A gripping, blood-soaked battle—by this point, it mattered no longer who had tried to kill whom.

Erich swung his bloodied sword through the air, scattering droplets in all directions before resting the now-clean blade on his shoulder. The so-called Imperial Knights, whom the Empire claimed to be its greatest.

But in reality, they were nothing more than scarecrows born of the grand duchess' arrogance.

'The Empire's strongest, huh. All for show.'

These men had been out of real battle for far too long. Of course, in the days when the founding emperor established them, their reputation as the strongest would have been beyond dispute.

But in a long-peaceful empire, the Imperial Knights ended up as reassuring muscle, useful in political intrigue and little else. Few among them had ever truly seen combat.

Contrary to their towering arrogance, they were in truth mere ornamental knights.

As the Imperial Knights hesitated to come at Erich, even more poured into the arena.

Most likely, save for the captain standing beside the grand duchess, almost all of them had taken the field—nearly thirty in number.

But Erich was not worried at all. By this point, just as he'd expected, someone else was about to make a move.

"Wathmen! All members, support Lord Erich of Krupp!"

The eyes of the crowd turned in another direction—it was the squad of watchmen, clad in black cloaks and light leather armor.

'That's right. You had to get involved.'

A smirk appeared once more on Erich's lips.

Unlike the Imperial Knights, who surrounded Erich in perfect formation, the watchmen sauntered casually onto the arena floor.

Now, the Imperial Knights tried to encircle Erich. But the watchmen formed up around him, facing off with swords raised.

The knights of the Empire, with their massive builds and golden armor, stood opposite the watchmen, who covered themselves with black cloaks and looked for all the world like vagabonds—an obvious mismatch at first glance.

Yet each wathman unsheathed a longer longsword, resting it on his shoulder just as Erich had done.

Someone among the watchmen stepped forward—it was Joseph, Konrad's lieutenant.

"You're a bit late. Were you doubting if this was the right side to pick?"

Joseph gave a slight smile. How could the watchmen handle the Imperial Knights so easily? To him, Erich's confidence seemed most peculiar.

Logically speaking, it wasn't easy to believe that a unit made up of criminals, deserters, and desperate souls fleeing from every corner to the Great Wall could face the Empire's so-called best knights as equals, let alone overcome them.

"... Insolent wretches. Imperial Knights! In the name of the Empire! Slaughter these mongrels!"

Two voices clashed, resounding across the arena. The Imperial Knights and the watchmen charged at each other.

But the spectacle that followed shocked not just the audience—

Even the grand duchess, her retinue, and the captain of the Imperial Knights sitting in the high seats widened their eyes in disbelief.

***

The grand duchess's pupils trembled. An unimaginable scene was unfolding.

Knights clad in golden armor were being mercilessly brought down by the watchmen with their fluttering black cloaks.

― Kkaang! Kagagagak!

Most of the metallic clangs ringing throughout the arena were the sound of the watchmen' long swords scraping against the Imperial Knights' armor.

Worse, most of the screams were those of the Imperial Knights themselves.

The watchmen were clearly outmatched in terms of equipment, yet they dodged every attack, countering the knights with flawless precision.

The gap in individual skill was simply staggering.

"... What on earth is this?"

Konrad only smiled at the grand duchess. She glared icily at him. But, as far as her understanding went, the situation was simply incomprehensible.

The Empire's greatest knights, selected from noble birth and given the finest upbringing and education—

Were being helplessly defeated by watchmen, essentially forced drafts from the poor. How could this possibly be happening?

"Sir Konrad, you'd best have acted in full consideration. Our agreement is void from this moment."

The original condition the grand duchess proposed to Konrad—so called "win-win"—was precisely this. From Heinkel's domain, select people to be sent to the chronically understaffed watch at the Great Wall.

But as soon as Erich demanded to take all of Heinkel to the watchmen, that condition was as good as broken.

Why settle for parts of Heinkel when you could seize the whole of it?

Clearly, the grand duchess had yet to realize she was on the verge of losing Heinkel altogether.

"I don't know what kind of trick that wicked man played, but you have chosen the wrong side."

She raised her voice sharply.

"My knight, Bron! Go down there and bring me that vile man's head!"

At her command, the burly man behind her silently donned his helmet.

The captain of the Imperial Knights assigned to the grand duchess, Bron, was finally moving.

He swept his golden cape and slowly descended the steps from the high seats, heading toward the arena, now a blood-soaked chaos.

― Clack.

He gazed slowly over the arena. The Imperial Knights were being overpowered without resistance.

Among them, Bron set his eyes on Erich, who silently observed the fray.

Bron drew his sword and gradually picked up speed. In a single bound, he meant to kill Erich. Even if he was a swordmaster, if taken by surprise, Erich could not possibly endure such a blow.

Besides, Bron was confident—though he had not ascended to the rank of swordmaster himself, the gap was not unbridgeable.

He believed he was not far removed from that realm.

― Ta-at!

With a leap, the massive knight in golden armor flew into the arena—so high, one could say he soared through the air.

For a moment, the onlookers held their breath, focusing on the giant knight descending upon Erich's back. Bron brought his sword down.

― Kkang.

But that moment—

Bron's eyes widened. Without a chance to show his surprise, Erich, effortlessly grabbing the blocked sword, twisted his body and hurled Bron aside.

― Kwaang!

Bron, flung aside, sprang back up with agility. He quickly replayed the moment in his mind. Until just before the blow landed, Erich hadn't even looked back.

Yet, right there, he'd raised his sword high and blocked the full weight of Bron's armored swing with ease—then to top it off, threw Bron to the ground.

― Gulp.

Bron swallowed hard. Swordmaster. He'd believed he wasn't far from that level. But was the gap really this massive? In terms of sheer build alone, Erich looked half as sturdy as Bron.

"Don't you get it?"

Bron turned his gaze to Erich. Approaching him, Erich's eyes blazed crimson, his lips curled in a faint smile. Unconsciously, Bron found that smile terrifying.

"Aura isn't just about turning a blade to pierce armor. Its potential is limitless, depending on the wielder."

― Sseuuuk.

Goosebumps prickled across Bron's skin. From a distance where no sword could reach, deadly intent poured forth, as if he would be slashed at any moment.

Yet Erich only smiled, raising his sword toward empty air.

What on earth was this man about to do? Bron had no idea. But some strange instinct compelled him to raise his sword to block Erich.

"I didn't know until my master taught me. Remember this."

― Chwaaaak!

Bron's eyes grew wide. The distance was too great for the sword to reach; he would have to leap to even graze with the tip. Yet he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

At last, he realized—Erich's sword shimmered with a clear blue aura, casting heatwaves in the air. The arc of Erich's slash had sent a blade of energy slicing through Bron's armor and slashing across his chest.

― Thud.

Bron collapsed forward. With the fall of Captain Bron of the Imperial Knights, the knights still putting up resistance ground to a halt.

Those Imperial Knights who found themselves surrounded began to throw down their swords one by one—an unmistakable surrender to anyone watching.

Imperial Knights, watchmen, even the crowd—all set their gaze on a single person.

At this moment, there was only one who could bring this to an end.

The grand duke of House Krupp.

As if meeting their expectations, the grand duke rose slowly. He glanced coolly at the grand duchess, then stepped out to face the audience from the high seats.

Now, it was time for everything to be brought to a close.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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