Chapter 339: Collapsing at the First Touch

Over the years, Marcelo had gained plenty of experience negotiating with Vali.

According to the customary routine, they should have deployed their formations and exchanged greetings, then stated their respective demands, and finally engaged in a protracted, amicable consultation.

But he never expected that this time, they would not even have a chance to speak; the leading knight simply brandished a sword wreathed in flames and launched a charge against them.

Instantly, upon the wilderness, the sounds of slaughter and battle rose up as one.

To Ronin, although Torrent Island did not belong to him just yet, with Bruno's promise, the future was bound to be his.

In his territory, it was better to have more obedient subjects.

These troublemakers deserved to be taught a lesson.

Even if there were to be talks, they would only begin after they had been thoroughly beaten in open combat.

The knights brandished their longswords, launching a charge toward the mass of rebels.

Some came from the royal knight order, some were a knight squad from Pointy Horn City, and others were troops stationed year-round on Torrent Island; each squad had undergone professional training, possessing a natural advantage against this rabble.

With the two silver knights, Kalada and Luqi, leading the way, the moment the two sides clashed, it turned into a completely one-sided rout.

Pfft!

Clifford slashed and wounded a knight charging at him, then kicked away two others who lunged forward, a trace of panic flashing through his eyes.

"No, staying here any longer means certain death!"

He hesitated no longer, fleeing swiftly toward the rear.

Just then, a sharp rushing of wind sounded, and a shadow swooped down rapidly, the sharp talons of a griffon aiming directly at his shoulders.

Clifford was a gold knight, after all, possessing a fair amount of combat experience; though he did not turn his head, he reacted subconsciously, rolling along the ground to narrowly and thrillingly evade the strike.

"A griffon!"

Clifford's soul nearly left his body; although certain grand nobles also possessed griffons, the appearance of such a creature usually made people think of the Alduin royal family.

If Torrent Island were a fiercely contested territory or a place capable of generating vast economic returns, the gaze of the grand nobles would quickly turn here the moment trouble arose.

But this was a place for detaining prisoners; though it possessed decent timber resources, its annual output was merely mediocre.

To the kingdom, this revenue was like a single hair on nine oxen, easily compensated for from many other places.

He could not understand why, just as a little trouble broke out on Torrent Island, the royal family had dispatched people, and exceptionally precious griffon knights at that.

This was equivalent to playing cards where you had just played a three, and your opponent immediately dropped a nuclear bomb; how was one supposed to play?

Run, he absolutely had to run!

Yet, how could a human's speed compare to that of a griffon.

Furthermore, just as Clifford was fleeing, a figure augmented by haste magic flashed in swiftly, a flame-streaming sword thrusting toward him.

In a panic, Clifford raised his sword to parry.

Under the impact of immense force, Clifford found it difficult to withstand this mighty strength, and the longsword in his hand was deflected away.

Ronin's figure blocked the man's path: "I've never heard of a knight of your strength appearing within the White Flower Society; tell me your identity!"

Just now, the opponent had repelled the siege of Vali and several other knights with a single strike, which proved that he possessed strength exceeding the bronze rank, at least at the silver rank.

Yet, according to Vali's introduction along the way, the highest combat power of the White Flower Society was merely Marcelo, a bronze knight; it was impossible for a silver knight to spring up in such a short time.

Repeated bouts of wretchedness caused despair to rise in Clifford's heart; he unleashed his entire body's battle qi, forming an unceasing, torrential tide like a tsunami, rushing toward Ronin with unstoppable power.

He wanted to use this strike to force Ronin back, break through the blockade, and escape this place of trouble.

Even if he had to dive into the mountain forests, it would be better than being captured.

Not far away, Melonica, who was keeping watch, flicked his gaze: "That is the tier-six water-attribute battle technique, Torrential Tide. This fellow is a gold knight; Ronin is in danger."

Rulance had arranged for him to come and protect Ronin, and he would not interfere in the latter's ordinary battles; however, once there was danger, he had to protect Ronin from harm at the very first moment.

But just as he was about to act, a flame compressed to the absolute limit erupted from Ronin's flame-streaming sword, penetrating the opponent's surging, furious tide like a flash of light and slamming heavily against his armor.

Melonica's eyes flickered, his heart deeply shaken.

"Ronin actually used the tier-six battle technique, Flame Flash. Is he like Kalada, capable of using it beyond his level, or is he already a gold knight?"

It was unimaginable that the Marquis's eldest grandson, who had been looked down upon by everyone initially, had now grown to such a degree.

In an instant, Clifford was heavily blasted away, crashing violently through several trees by the roadside before collapsing beneath a tree; as several mouthfuls of fresh blood spurted from his mouth, he lost all power to resist.

Ronin sheathed his flame-streaming sword and shifted his gaze from the man to the battlefield.

By now, the battle was drawing to a close.

In the charge just now, more than half of the White Flower Society's people had been killed or wounded, and the scent of blood filled the mountain road.

With Clifford and Marcelo captured, the remaining people no longer had the courage to continue fighting; they threw down their weapons one after another, kneeling upon the ground to beg for mercy.

The knights and infantrymen placed their longswords against the necks of these people, securing them in place.

Although this kind of one-sided battle was won without suspense, there were still some casualties on this side; most were Vali's subordinates, and some were members of the Pointy Horn City knight squad, while the dozen or so professional knights led by Mixi suffered no casualties at all.

Vali had his men escort Marcelo before Ronin.

Looking at the troublemaker who had fought against him for several years kneeling on the ground, a burst of gratification could not help but rise in his heart.

"Marcelo, standing before you is Earl Ronin Wushan of the Northern Crow Territory, who has come to exterminate you by order of His Majesty the King!"

"Heh, now you know how vulnerable this rabble you gathered truly is, don't you?"

Marcelo lifted his head, looked at Ronin with difficulty, and snorted in dissatisfaction: "If you want to kill me, then kill me, but don't show that sickening face in front of me!"

Knight Vali wanted to shout a few curses to vent the foul air in his chest, but Ronin raised his hand to stop him.

"Your courage is decent, but rest assured, we will not kill you."

His purpose in coming to Torrent Island this time was merely to gain some military merits so that Bruno would have a reason to bestow a title upon him.

Prisoners were the best proof of merit.

He would take Marcelo and these key figures back to Golden Feather City to report to His Majesty the King.

Ronin signaled Tom and David to carry over the unconscious Clifford.

"Before interrogating you, I would very much like to know, who is this person?"

Only then did everyone turn their gazes toward the person Tom and David carried over; during the battle just now, not everyone had noticed Clifford.

A trace of avoidance appeared in Marcelo's eyes, and only after a brief silence did he speak: "The same as me, nothing more than the descendant of a criminal imprisoned on Torrent Island."

Ronin looked toward Knight Vali: "In other words, your intelligence was flawed. Hidden among the native people of the Torrent Island White Flower Society was a gold knight."

"Impossible, the White Flower Society cannot possibly have a gold knight!"

Vali was absolutely certain: "If they had a gold knight—no, if they merely had a silver knight—the last time I came to collect timber, this group of people would have dared to kill me and seize the Torrent Island pier!"

He looked at the still-unconscious Clifford, his brow furrowing deeply: "This person's skin lacks the pale-yellow tint unique to Torrent Island; I see he is absolutely not a person from Torrent Island!"

Vali pressed his longsword against Marcelo's neck: "Speak, who is he?"

Marcelo snorted coldly, remaining silent.

"Since that is the case, imprison them securely first, and interrogate them after they awaken."

Ronin said: "Before that, we can thoroughly search the territory of the White Flower Society to see if there are any suspicious places."