Masked Knight

"To kill you!"

Ars.Lan’s eyes flickered, and Fielding saw a flash of chilling light. His heart sank, and his body instinctively dodged backward.

Fielding landed a few meters away, and he felt a sudden pain at his chest. As he lowered his head he saw a bloody wound across his chest, the wound cut a half inch deep into his flesh, and blood was gushing from it. If Fielding had not reacted faster earlier, Ars.Lan would have cut him right across his waist.

"You want to kill me?" Fielding pressed hard on his wound and asked, feeling shocked and outraged.

Ars.Lan had a slender sword in her hand, and blood trickled from the sword’s tip, "Are you very surprised, Fielding? You did not expect me to kill you?"

Fielding snorted.

Indeed, he did not expect Ars.Lan to want to kill him. Though they did not get along well, they were after all Paladins of the Temple. It did not make sense at all for Ars.Lan to kill him. He was not prepared for Ars.Lan’s surprise attack. Otherwise, with his strength, he would not have been injured by his opponent’s sword with just one strike.

Unless...

Fielding’s face suddenly changed...unless she was ordered to do so!

Ars.Lan studied the changes on Fielding’s face and sneeringly asked, "Why? Have you figured out?"

Fielding clenched his teeth, "Who the hell asked you to do so? Who? Prometheus?"

Ars.Lan pointed her long sword to the ground and slowly closed in on Fielding. There was a slight smile on her beautiful face, but her eyes were cold and murderous, "What do you think?"

Fielding growled, "I don’t believe it! I don’t believe Prometheus would do this! I’m a Paladin of the Temple. Even if I have sinned, I can only be executed after an open trial by the Elders Council!"

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk..." Ars.Lan mocked in disdain. "Poor fellow! Why are you human Paladins so stubborn? Augustine was like that, so are you...fools!"

Fielding’s eyes were burning with rage, "Ars.Lan, aren’t you afraid of the Temple’s prosecution for doing so? In consideration of my status, do you think you can cover it up if something bad happened to me?"

Ars.Lan chuckled and replied softly, "Why is there a need to cover up? After you die, Prometheus will publicize the matter as widely as possible!"

Fielding’s heart immediately sank. He pondered for a moment before smiling bitterly, "I understand now! Prometheus has always wanted to be a Pontiff, but the various Roland kings have objected. Even though Prometheus was extremely powerful in the Temple’s Elders Council, he feared that the Elders Council would sway in the face of the rage of the various Roland kingdoms. If...if a Paladin was found dead in the Sauron Kingdom...Hmph! You would have the pretext to declare war! A Paladin who has come officially to the Sauron Kingdom to handle religious affairs gets assassinated! Once this happened, the Temple and the various Roland kingdoms would be completely estranged!"

"You’ve finally figured it out!" Ars.Lan gently shook the long sword in her hands. The slender blade writhed supplely like a python.

"Hahahahaha!" Fielding tossed his head back and laughed, his laughter filled with rage. He stared at Ars.Lan and bellowed, "Despicable! Did Prometheus go berserk thinking of becoming the Pontiff! He would stoop so low and carry out such despicable deeds! You and Prometheus are unworthy of the Temple! You two are the true culprits plotting against the Temple!"

Ars.Lan did not get mad at Fielding’s accusation. She sighed and mocked in reply, "You are still so stubborn! Right from the start, I’m from the Dragon Tribe, not a member of the Temple! I was only following orders to assist Prometheus...As for Prometheus, as long as he successfully becomes the Pontiff, who cares whether or not he is a sinner?"

Fielding flared in anger. He pressed one hand on the wound across his chest, and the other clenched tight into a fist. Right now, with no weapons in his hands, his armor gone and an injury on his chest, it was not the best time to have a duel with a Paladin who was just as powerful as himself.

"What are you thinking?" Ars.Lan smiled. "Don’t think of escaping, Fielding. Did you not realize something weird?" She held out a finger and pointed at the wound on Fielding’s chest. She then smiled and continued, "With your power, you would have had some knowledge in the Light Series Spells. The reason you are talking to me for so long is to stop the bleeding from your wound using fighting energy...but after trying for quite some time, has the bleeding stopped? Haha...."

The expression on Fielding’s face changed slightly. Indeed, he was secretly using fighting energy to heal the wound since just now. Though he was a Paladin, as a man of that rank he roughly knew how to perform the healing Light Series Spell. But after trying secretly for so long, not only the wound on his chest did not heal, it was bleeding faster than before.

"Your...your sword!" Fielding gritted his teeth.

"Not bad, Your Excellency Fielding..." Ars.Lan seemed not in a hurry to attack, "I knew you have been training hard behind closed doors in the Temple, and your power has greatly increased. How could I easily risk my life to fight against you? So to save some effort, I had no choice but to apply some special materials from the Dragon Tribe on the sword..."

Fielding sneered, "Hmph! Those from the Dragon Tribe are indeed despicable heretics!"

Ars.Lan pursed her lips and smile, her gaze taunting, "Don’t worry. Considering your power, I know it is impossible to kill you directly with poison. Moreover, if you died from poisoning, it will inevitably leave behind some evidence. So, I only applied some Dragon Saliva on the sword! This thing will only cause your wound to bleed continuously. It’s nothing precious but being a Paladin, you will not be able to save yourself with that meager low-level healing spell unless a senior magician comes to your help!"

Thoughts flashed in Fielding’s head like lightning. He abruptly dropped the hand pressing on the wound. Since the bleeding could not be stopped, there was no use covering the wound with his hand. It would be better to fight with both hands!

"Ars.Lan, it’s not that easy to kill me! But you can give it a try!" Fielding clenched his fists and locked his gaze on the female Dragon Tribe Paladin, a murderous look in his eyes. He was finally able to completely open up his energy field, unlike just now when he was in the great hall. Due to the restriction of space in the great hall, it was impossible for him to completely release the flames of his fighting energy. But now, out in the open and wounded, he had to fight and win this battle speedily. A burst of fighting energy exploded from Fielding’s body like a burning flame. He roared, "Come on!"

"Very well!" Ars.Lan thrust her sword forward without hesitation.

The strike of her sword glimmered chillingly like a shooting star. Fielding was defenseless with his bare hands, so he immediately hurled a light sword formed from gathered fighting energy to ward off the attack. Boom! The light sword shattered, and Fielding instantly retreated. He spread his other hand and a light wave shot toward Ars.Lan’s direction.

Ars.Lan sneered and held out one hand. Immediately, a wall of ice appeared in front of her.

A loud bang was heard. Fielding seized the moment and continued moving backward. Ars.Lan roared, "Trying to flee?" Her figure shot forward at high speed.

If the competition between them was solely based on speed, Ars.Lan, who also possessed the characteristics of a Wind Dragon, was slightly above Fielding, especially when Fielding was already wounded. In a haste, Ars.Lan pierced Fielding’s shoulder with her sword, but she saw the deadly look in Fielding’s eyes, "You’ve taken the bait!"

Suddenly, a fist struck her in the abdomen. The pain was so intense that she started seeing stars. She bent over and moved backward in a flash. Fielding, who was pierced in the shoulder, became even more dauntless, clenching his teeth as he struck his fist once again. Ars.Lan had no choice but to counter his blow with her palm.

Following a loud bang, intense energy exploded and both of them separated once again. Ars.Lan’s arms were trembling slightly. That blow just now, Fielding, whom already achieved the peak in strength manipulation at a Paladin’s level, had the upper hand. But after the impact, the wound on Fielding’s chest was bleeding more profusely.

Both of them stared at each other and was cautious about launching a second attack. Earlier Fielding had intentionally lured his opponent to stab his shoulder, but now the wound was bleeding profusely. Being stabbed by a Paladin was no trivial matter. He was not invulnerable to swords like Rody. Besides, not only did Ars.Lan’s sword pierce through his shoulder, the shattered fighting energy further mutilated his wound. Right now, there was an unbearable pain at his shoulder, and it felt like he could not even raise that arm anymore. On the other hand, Ars.Lan was not any better. After that blow right in the abdomen, the pain was so terrible it felt like a storm was churning up the seas in her stomach.

Fielding had no choice but to strike again immediately. Right now, there were two wounds on his body, both bleeding profusely. The longer he dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him, so he had to take the risk and attack forcefully.

Ars.Lan understood Fielding’s intentions, but she did not want to continue the fight with force. Their strength was almost equal so if she were to put up a fierce fight, even if she successfully killed Fielding in the end, she herself would definitely sustain serious injuries too. Ars.Lan was not willing to pay such a high price...Moreover, she had other plans in mind!

The two of them engaged in another fierce battle. Ars.Lan, who possessed all three characteristics of snow, flame, and wind, decided to use the entanglement tactic. She avoided direct combat with Fielding but utilized her speed to dodge here and there, and occasionally sneaked a few attacks with her sword.

Two shadowy figures surrounded by golden fighting energy engaging in a fierce battle was clearly visible in the darkness of the night. The sounds of fighting energy exploding could be heard frequently and the intense energy emitted smashed deep pits on the ground.

Fielding roared repeatedly but the wounds on his chest and shoulder kept spurting blood. His upper body was already covered in blots of blood. Ars.Lan was extremely cunning. During the battle, she had no intention at all to fight directly with him. The sword in her hand was like a venomous snake striking at Fielding from time to time, causing him to dodge frantically. If Fielding had a sword in his hand, he would not have been afraid of her but now that he was barehanded, he could not be using his body to ward off her sword, could he?

"Go to hell!" Fielding bellowed and pushed both of his hands forward. An enormous golden light ball suddenly formed between his palms, and a wave of light shot towards Ars.Lan. Ars.Lan’s face changed. She dared not take the blow directly but instead, she tapped her feet lightly on the ground and leaped into the air! Fielding’s light wave missed, passing right beneath Ars.Lan’s feet. The continuous howling sounded like fierce wind and thunder, and a deep pit was blasted out on the street within twenty meters in front of him.

Ars.Lan smiled coldly, she then struck a blow with her sword while still in mid-air.

At this point, Fielding had already lost too much blood; his body was starting to feel cold and flaccid. He saw the sword coming down. If it was under normal circumstances, there were naturally lots of ways to ward it off or dodge but now that he could not even heave a breath from his chest, all he could do was to clasp his palms together.

Fielding drew his palms together and clamped Ars.Lan’s sword between his palm. The sharp blade of the sword sliced through Fielding’s palms, and blood trickled from his hands. If it were not because of the protection provided by the Paladin’s fighting energy, his hands would have been disabled by now.

Both of them had exerted their maximum force. They were deadlocked for a moment, their bodies trembling slightly.

Ars.Lan suddenly sneered and twisted the sword with one hand. The sword’s blade originally clamped between Fielding’s palms suddenly turned horizontally. Fielding felt a sharp pain in his palms. He grunted and finally let go of both his hands, staggering backward. Ars.Lan seized the opportunity and delivered a blow to Fielding’s chest using her palm!

Wham! Her palm, carrying the golden fighting energy of a Dragon Tribe Paladin, landed solidly on Fielding’s chest. Though Fielding had the protection of fighting energy, he could not withstand the blow. He grunted as his body was thrown out from the impact, a few chest ribs fractured, and he collapsed on the floor.

Ars.Lan was panting heavily. During the fight, she too received a few blows from Fielding, especially one which landed on her arm shattering the armor. If Fielding had not been seriously wounded and weakened due to loss of blood, that arm would have been broken.

By now, they had been fighting fiercely for more than half an hour. Fielding’s chest, shoulders, and arms sustained several cuts from Ars.Lan’s sword. He was already bathed in blood.

Ars.Lan watched as Fielding struggled to get up from the ground. She sneered and asked, "Fielding, are you still not giving up? You can go on and use fighting energy! The more you try to use it, the more you will bleed! Let’s see how much more blood you have left!"

Fielding seemed like he could barely stand. He had always been stubborn and arrogant, so one could imagine his wrath as he was brought to this state by an ambush. He coughed violently, and blood was coughed out from his mouth. The fractured ribs in his chest must have injured his lungs. He was breathing heavily as he said, "Ars.Lan, why aren’t you attacking anymore? Come again! Let’s see if you can successfully assassinate me today or it will be me, Fielding, who slays the dragon!"

Ars.Lan’s gaze was gloomy. She did not expect Fielding, who had no weapons at all, could be so powerful even after her ambush. She had already gone all out just now but she too sustained some serious injuries.

It seemed like his power could not be underestimated as he was a Paladin after all. If she really wanted to kill him, she would need to pay a great price.

Fielding sneered, "Are you going to stop now? Or is it because you are exhausted?"

"Pooh!" Ars.Lan wiped off the blood at the corner of her mouth. The blood was the result of several heavy blows she had received earlier.

"If you’re not going to attack, then it’s my turn now!" Fielding’s eyes glowed with a strange light. Ars.Lan had a bad feeling when she saw Fielding’s eyes.

Sure enough, balls of light suddenly appeared on the floor around the place where Ars.Lan was standing. The light balls then floated from the surface of the floor, each about the size of a fist!

Fielding struggled to raise his hands. Without warning he pressed his hands together, making a squeezing motion, and shouted, "Explode!"

The light balls, each the size of a fist, surrounding Ars.Lan suddenly shot towards her! Dozens of light balls exploded all at once!

In the midst of the explosions, Ars.Lan held her hands in front of her body, her head bowed and her back arched. The fighting energy surrounding her body immediately expanded!

As the sound of explosions gradually diminished and the ashes around her dispersed, she noticed that Fielding who was previously standing before her had already escaped!

Ars.Lan looked at the armor covering her body. It had been damaged beyond recognition following the explosions just now. She snorted in anger and struggled to support her body with her sword as she stood up. She said through clenched teeth, "Damn you, Fielding. I did not expect you to carry out such a cunning act!"

Ars.Lan was far too intelligent to not figure out Fielding’s cheap tricks!

It dawned on her that when they were engaged in the fight, Fielding had secretly split his fighting energy into dozens of fist-sized light balls and scattered them around Ars.Lan. With his extraordinary ability to control strength, the split external fighting energy did not explode immediately. Instead, they lingered around remaining dormant, in a calm static state! Ars.Lan did not even notice their presence! The light balls lingered quietly until Fielding triggered them from afar, finally igniting them!

He already had this all planned out! No wonder during their fight just now, when she thrust her sword at him, he would sometimes pretend to be unable to dodge when he could have actually evaded the attack—he must have been secretly laying out the traps!

He was definitely worthy of his reputation as a prestigious Paladin of the continent!

Ars.Lan rested for a short while and her breath slowly calmed down. She looked at the direction where Fielding disappeared. The gloom on her face suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a faintly discernible smile.

’Fielding, oh Fielding, you think you have won? Hmph...’

’It is a pity that you think you are smart. Did you really think that I was here to kill you? With your power as a Paladin, even if I managed to ambush you, it is not an easy task to kill you. Do you think I, Ars.Lan, would do things that I had no certainty of? Hmph...’

’Besides, did you really think what happened tonight was Prometheus’ orders? Although he is arrogant and has wild ambitions, how would he dare to simply assassinate the Temple’s Paladin? Hahahaha...you humans have always liked to act smart!’

’You would never have expected that I was here to merely hold you back, not to kill you!’

’Naturally, someone would die tonight! But that person would not be you....’

’Hmph! There is another person who came with you to the Sauron Kingdom...He is my actual target!’

’I assumed that now, at that place...they have already succeeded...You and that man are equally important in the Temple. No matter which one of you dies, the results will be the same for my plan, just that the process will be much easier.’

Killing an Elder of the Temple would definitely be much easier than killing a Paladin!

As she was thinking, Ars.Lan coughed a few times. She wiped off the bloodstains at the corner of her mouth and looked up into the sky.

Tonight, the sky was dark without the moon and stars. Ars.Lan mumbled to herself, "Tonight is definitely perfect for doing something sneaky!"

In the dark of the night, the sound of her weak breathing and coughing could be heard, mingled with the sound of her self-satisfied laugh.