Imperial Crown

Thank you very much for the 2 rewards from Qidian Dad [Xiao Pengzhan]!

…

Eric arrived at the preparation room of the arena early.

He sat quietly on the chair, supporting his chin with both hands, staring at the ground with his big and small eyes, as if thinking about something.

Gradually, the outside room began to get lively, with all kinds of sounds buzzing, spectators were communicating and discussing, some were selling goods, and some were betting.

Eric wiped his face with both hands, his eyes became firm, he stood up with a bang, and tore off his coat.

On his burly body, there were knotted and agile muscles, broad shoulders and back, tiger back and waist, arms as thick as rafters, legs like beams, perfect like a marble sculpture painted by an artist.

Taking a deep breath, Eric said in a deep voice:

"Come on, put on armor!"

Eric's son Thor came with his followers, first put on a close-fitting cloth for Eric, then a cotton soft armor, and finally put on the second-level enchanted armor one by one.

Combat boots, leg armor, waist armor, chest armor, arm armor, shoulder armor...

With each additional piece, the magic light will be brighter. When Eric held the helmet with both hands and put it on, the blue magic light suddenly exploded and turned into stars falling down.

Thor's eyes were full of admiration and envy: "Father, this armor... is so handsome!"

Then he looked a little panic, because Eric was strict in discipline. Usually, he would be scolded after saying such words. He was a little too excited today.

But this time, Eric smiled: "One day, it will be worn on you."

"But you have to practice well, otherwise, you will never be worthy of this set of armor!"

"I have been practicing every day recently, you see!" Thor rolled up his sleeves and raised his arms. The muscle lines were thick and thin, and they were very clear. At first glance, it was the result of long-term training.

"Being a knight requires more than just brute strength." Eric patted him on the shoulder: "Watch today's game carefully and learn well."

"This will be the most important lesson in your life."

"Go and take good care of your mother and sister."

Thor didn't quite understand, but he nodded vigorously: "Yes, father!"

Soon after Thor said goodbye and left, Ingra's voice followed.

"Ladies and gentlemen."

"From May 8th to today, a total of nearly four months of competition, we have watched hundreds of games together, witnessed the bravery of the Nord Province knights, met many people, and listened to many stories."

"This is the first time that the Nord Province, and even the entire empire, has held such a grand competition."

"And today's game will draw a conclusion to this competition!"

"Next, Eric Dyson, the third-level steel knight representing the Griffith family, will face--"

"Gul'dan Fox, the third-level fire knight representing the Fox family!"

The fence was lifted with the sound of hinges creaking, and Eric picked up his long sword and stepped into the arena, cheering and shouting.

He glanced and saw his wife and children in the stands, who were waving at him excitedly.

Eric waved in response and continued to walk to the center of the field.

With a snap, his weapon collided with Gul'dan.

"Try your best." Gul'dan said condescendingly: "Let me see what kind of power Raven's strongest subordinate has!"

Eric responded in a muffled voice: "Please teach me, Mr. Gul'dan."

Both sides returned to their original positions.

Ingra shouted: "Duel--Begin!!!"

Gul'dan was at ease. He didn't think Eric could pose any threat to him.

But he immediately paid the price for this contempt.

Eric roared wildly, and the silver-colored fighting spirit gushed out. Everyone thought this would be the prelude to the steel giant form again, but Eric exerted force with both feet, leaving a deep pit on the ground. The whole person hit Gul'dan like a cannonball, and then slammed into the ground three meters in front of Gul'dan!

Boom--

A huge amount of soil gushed out from the ground like a fountain along with the silver-colored fighting spirit, and then fell like raindrops, and then a silver storm suddenly rose, wrapping Gul'dan in it.

Gul'dan's face suddenly changed, and he immediately held his breath, because he saw that the dark silver smoke was burned by his protective fighting spirit. Even though it turned into a little red, it had not completely melted.

"Level 3 combat skills, Iron Storm!" Ingra shouted loudly: "Player Eric's hidden level 3 combat skills, he actually used it as soon as the battle started!?"

Iron Storm, sweeping the enemy with iron fighting spirit, it was like countless knives cutting in the air!

Dense sparks burst out from Gul'dan's body, and the blue flames continued to rise, but they could not resist the wind, and dense metal scraping sounds continued to sound.

Gul'dan was about to withdraw, and the next moment, Eric, who had turned into a steel giant, rushed out of the storm dust, and the long sword in his hand turned into a door panel and smashed down on his head. Gul'dan moved sideways to avoid the giant sword, but also cut off the rhythm of continuing to retreat.

Eric's sword changed from slashing to sweeping, heading straight for Gul'dan's waist. Gul'dan bent his knees and jumped up, stepping on the sword with both legs, and thrusting the dagger in his right hand towards Eric's forehead.

A silver light flashed on the helmet, and the mirror shield quietly activated. The feedback of the fighting spirit dispersed the green flame on the dagger, and the surging power that followed pushed Gul'dan out. Although the steel fighting spirit was eliminated by the flames, it still left several marks on his gauntlet.

Gul'dan had just stepped back two steps after landing on the ground, when Eric had already caught up with him, raising his huge sword from bottom to top, as if to chop Gul'dan in half!

In Gul'dan's opinion, Eric's movements were extremely slow, and he only needed to move slightly to avoid it, but as soon as he moved his feet, he suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes!

Under the steel storm, the air was full of blades. He had been holding his breath for a long time, and after experiencing intense exercise, the oxygen in his lungs had long been exhausted.

In the blink of an eye, Eric's huge sword had already slashed into his left leg from bottom to top. The sword blade wrapped in steel fighting spirit suppressed the flames, tore open the armor, penetrated the flesh with a muffled sound, and cracked the bones with a thud. The whole person flew into the air like a rag doll in the blood!

In the spectator seats, the wailing of gamblers cut through the sky: "Fake match, it must be a fake match--"

Someone immediately refuted: "Fake match, if it was a fake match, how could he be injured to this extent!?"

In the box, Montreal's brows slowly tightened: "When will this kind of careless temper of underestimating the enemy be corrected?"

He knew very well that this was only in the arena. If it was on the battlefield, Gul'dan, as the target of concentrated fire, would not be seriously injured but dead in the face of this attack!

Raven's eyes were filled with joy, but his face did not ease too much, because this attack did not make Gul'dan lose the ability to resist. Next, Eric is likely to face a wave of counterattacks.

In mid-air, Gul'dan's face under the armor was blue and purple, partly because of lack of oxygen, and partly because he was so severely injured by Eric.

In terms of fighting spirit, fighting skills, and fighting instincts, Eric is much worse than Akori, but now, he is firmly suppressed by Gul'dan and has been seriously injured that Akori could not cause!

He opened his mouth and took a deep breath. The air full of blades cut his mouth and throat. The blood gathered into pieces of flesh and flowed all the way, making his chest and abdomen full of rusty blood, but his mind also became clear.

"Open!"

Blood spurted out from the gap in the mask, turning into a thick blood mist. The blue flame fighting spirit steamed and flowed, forming a phantom behind him that was no different from himself!

The martial spirit has been opened!

Boom--

The blue flame swept out with him as the center, burning and dispersing the silver steel storm surrounding him, as if a dense firework exploded in the air!

"Eric!!!"

Bloody fire mist flowed out of Gul'dan's helmet, and his body slowly descended from mid-air. He stepped in the air and raised his sword to point directly at Eric.

"Now, it's my turn!!"

With a bend of his wrist, the flames on the rapier surged, and the next moment the blue flame turned into a line of fire and pierced Eric!

Eric raised his sword to block, but the line of fire not only carried the heat of the flame but also the sharp edge of the blade, piercing through the giant sword and sinking into Eric's shoulder!

Even though he had turned into a steel giant and was protected by a second-level enchanted armor, the armor on Eric's shoulder still melted away, and the flames exploded, burning his body from the inside out, causing Eric to groan in his throat and shake his body constantly.

Eric roared and raised his sword to charge, but Gul'dan smiled contemptuously, leaving a cross sword mark in the air with the stabbing sword in his hand, and then gently pushed it, and the flame sword mark brought a light mark straight to Eric's chest and abdomen.

Encouraging his fighting spirit and raising his hands high, Eric raised his sword and slashed fiercely, and the sword edge collided with the sword mark, bursting into a roaring fire!

The sword mark was broken, but the giant sword in Eric's hand had a deep defect, almost breaking from the middle, and the blue flame spread, igniting Eric like a torch!

"Huh - I was scared to death. I thought Gul'dan was really going to lose. Now it seems that Eric is still not good enough!"

"It's good enough to suppress Gul'dan for a short time, but now that Gul'dan has opened his martial spirit, there is no suspense in this battle."

"What is Eric waiting for? Why doesn't he admit defeat?"

In the box, Montreal's brows relaxed.

As the outside world commented, Gul'dan opened his martial spirit, and the victory or defeat was determined. The next step is how to end this battle.

I hope Gul'dan won't make the scene too ugly. After all, this is Raven's wedding, and Eric is Raven's man.

And Gul'dan did not lose his mind. After two attacks in venting his anger, he lowered his body, his fighting spirit burst out, and the flames flowed. He rushed to Eric and swung his rapier to slash down!

This attack was deliberately blocked by Eric. Gul'dan whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "That's enough, admit defeat!"

Eric's voice was hoarse, but his answer did not change: "Please teach me, Mr. Gul'dan!"

Gul'dan's breathing stagnated: "Okay, then I will teach you!"

Before he finished speaking, he raised his right foot and kicked Eric's lower abdomen fiercely, leaving a clear shoe print on the armor and kicking him back repeatedly.

Before Eric could stand firm, Gul'dan had already thrust his sword forward again. On the slender sword, the blue flame burned like a flag!

Eric waved his sword to attack, like the battle between Gul'dan and Akori, but Gul'dan's speed was too fast, so fast that Eric could not catch up. The giant sword kept slashing on the ground, but it could only smash cracks and bring up large pieces of dust, but it could not touch Gul'dan's fur at all!

Gul'dan kept swinging his sword, piercing through the armor and drawing blood. Occasionally, it was blocked by the mirror shield, but the force of the counterattack would be turned into nothing by Gul'dan.

Eric's fighting spirit was still running, and every time a gap was pierced in the armor, it would be filled by the fighting spirit. The appearance of the steel giant was still perfect, but blood began to flow under his feet!

"Dad——" Eric's daughter jumped and shouted in the stands, her eyes were swollen and she couldn't speak.

Her brother Thor bit his lips tightly, forcing himself to see every detail on the field. He gradually understood the meaning of his father's words to him before.

From the moment he stepped onto the field, Eric had no intention of living!

Thor understood this behavior, but respected his father's decision and teachings.

Montreal's face was a little deep, and he looked at Raven with a little surprise.

As an earl, he had seen many people in his life, but Eric was very rare.

He was not only Raven's retainer, but also devoted to Raven, practicing a knight's oath-to defend the honor of the master, at the cost of his life.

What kind of magic did Raven have to gain the loyalty of such a knight?

Raven's face was as gloomy as water, and he could not see any joy or anger, but his body was sitting straight at this moment, and his eyes did not leave Eric at all.

In the arena, Gul'dan began to become irritable and uneasy. He had obviously caused enough damage to Eric. Looking at the blood flowing on the ground, even a cow would fall down!

But Eric kept attacking, attacking, and attacking!

It was as if the blood and the body were not his own!

"Are you confused!?" Gul'dan's throat moved: "Surrender quickly, don't force me to kill you!"

Eric's mind has never been so clear, he knows what he is doing.

Before meeting Raven, he was just a guard captain of a border baron, an unremarkable first-level extraordinary, and his life was an ordinary life that could be seen at a glance.

Living and dying silently, the biggest goal of his life was to buy a God-given potion for his son.

But now, in less than 4 years, he has become a third-level extraordinary, and all his past goals have been achieved.

He has stood on a bigger stage.

Now, he is a knight of the Griffith family, a third-level extraordinary.

Now, he wants to let Nord Province remember his name in the most brutal way!

He wants Nord Province to know that the Griffith family cannot be violated, and the reputation of the Griffith family cannot be desecrated!

Never admit defeat, never surrender!

Eric roared: "I just want to die!"

Determined, cold, without the slightest confusion.

Gul'dan's heart was shocked. He didn't understand Eric's choice. A third-level extraordinary, who still has a bright future, why did he fight for a mere--

Thinking of this, he suddenly understood that Eric held the same belief as him in the last game.

But Gul'dan was for his family. Eric, really wanted to sacrifice his life for Griffith?

"Is it worth it?"

Eric's giant sword moved like the wind, with silver-colored fighting spirit, like a huge folding fan, slashing at Gul'dan's head!

"Tough... Don't take away his will!!"

Gul'dan ducked and retreated to the left. His right hand thrust out the rapier like a snake. The blade broke through the heavy armor, pierced into Eric's chest with a clang, and then pierced out from behind!

Eric's body suddenly froze.

Gul'dan drew out the rapier, shook off the blood on the blade, and looked at the white marks on it caused by the friction of bones: "Bones, hard enough."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Plop.

Eric knelt on the ground, his head lowered, and his helmet rolled to the ground.

……