In the evening, Byrne Barracks.

The flat land in the middle of the camp had been vacated, and the knights of the Red Blood Fortress and the silver-armored horsemen of the House of Jonah formed a circle near the clearing, forming a "steel railing" with large swords and long knives.

The crowd stood behind this "railing", and the quiet sunset was so silent that not even a single person's breath could be heard.

Only a pair of shocked or silent eyes stared at the two confronting figures in the center of the clearing.

An expressionless Loren stood in the center of the crowd, his dark pupils full of nervousness.

Because of the influence of the "knighthood", the two principalities of Byrne and Boy had a very profound custom of "duel", and this ancient tradition can even be traced back to the "blood feud" culture shared by the Byrnes and Boi people before the Old Kingdom.

In the eyes of all, sacrifice blood with blood, end hatred with hatred, victory is justice, and the defeated bow their knees and submit.

"The most trusted friend... And the allies who are about to join forces. Master Ashamai, who was standing behind him, suddenly spoke, looking at Loren meaningfully:

"Not what you'd like to see, right... Duke Loren?"

With a sigh, Loren barely curled the corners of his mouth: "It's not the worst one. ”

Master Ashamai's voice was low and unclear: "That's right, on the surface, it seems that your friend is risking his life for you, and whatever the outcome, your relationship with the Jonah family will become very stiff. ”

"But if you don't see the end, how do you know that our Lord Ain Rand won't surprise you?"

Loren turned his head suddenly, raised his eyebrows and looked at the other party: "What exactly do you want to say?"

"Nothing, I just want to warn you not to jump to conclusions. Ashmai smiled, his eyes flickering: "An old friend told me that he said that the friendship between the Byrnes and the Boi actually began with a duel. ”

"He also said that he wanted the wolves of the steppe to treat you as a friend... You have to beat it with your left hand and then hug it with your right hand. ”

After speaking, Ashma didn't wait for Loren to speak, he pushed away the crowd in front of him and walked towards the two facing each other.

"According to the laws of the Empire, duels are to be fought under the watchful eye of servants of the Holy Cross, but alas, we will not see a single priest until we have rescued the City of a Thousand Hordes from the centaurs!"

Standing in the middle of the clearing, the burly Master Haringvan Ashamai raised his wand, which resembled a short-handled hammer, and his voice resounded like thunder:

"So today we follow the ancient tradition shared by the Boi and the Byrnes: to let them shed their blood on the earth under the witness of the heavenly vault, to witness the bravery and glory of the two——!"

"And whether it's the Jonahs' Salika winning the final victory, or the Rand's Ain winning the Valkyrie's favor... There will be no humiliation or slander in this duel, it will only be a contest between friends. ”

Master Ashamai's gaze swept around him: "Let us chant together the proverb of the Boi and Byrnes - entrust your life to your friends, and give your victory to friendship——!"

"Entrust your life to your friends, give your victory to your friendship————!!!!"

In the wave of cheers, the expressions of the two confrontation became serious at the same time, and a pair of sharp wolf eyes were reflected in the brilliant sapphire.

Salika had already taken off her silver armor, wearing only a close-fitting short-sleeved shirt and long pants and boots, and her shiny gold-handled saber flew up and down her left and right hands, and a "smile" opened on the corner of her mouth.

Ai Yin, who was standing opposite her, had a straight face, and her right hand was holding the bowstring of the war bow rigidly.

She still wore the "wizard's leather armor" she had made when she left Ebroden, and she was carrying two short spears about a foot and a half in length behind her.

"I've always heard people say that the Lothair people are famous for their bow and arrow skills. Salika caught the spear thrown by the man behind her with one hand, stuck the tip of the spear firmly into the dirt under her feet, and looked at Al Yin with a grin:

"At such a close distance, there are only three arrows... Wouldn't it be too unfair to you?"

"Don't think about it. The little wizard pursed the corners of his mouth, as if brewing a storm, his eyes swept past the three arrows stuck in the ground in front of his feet:

"You'd better worry about yourself, Miss Salika... If I shoot a weapon away, I won't be able to pick it up according to the rules of the duel. ”

Salika's face didn't change, but the smile on the corner of her mouth became a little more hideous.

The atmosphere was getting tense, Iron's right hand was shaking, fingertips had crossed the bowstring more than once, and Salika, with a "smile" on her lips, widened her eyes, calculating the distance between herself and the little wizard.

Loren squinted, his left hand behind his back and clenched into a fist.

"Hereby I officially declare ......"

Master Ashamai slowly retreated to the edge, right across from the black-haired wizard, and with a wave of his wand, he uttered the last words:

"The Duel Begins——!"

As if they had a heart, the two of them moved at the same time!

In the blink of an eye, Salika's figure had vanished from the spot, and she swooped to her side—she had already seen the archery of a small wizard, so close that she could shoot her saber without anyone noticing.

Such an arrow ... Definitely not something that can be parried.

"Bell ——!"

Take the arrow, press the arrow, open the bow, raise the bow... It didn't take even a thousandth of a second, and in a split second, Ain was already aiming at Salika's figure, and then shot an arrow.

Under the countless gazes, everyone only had time to hear a bowstring snapping, and before they could see the afterimage, a "black light" was already coming towards them.

By the time everyone saw the arrow, it had landed firmly in the center of a shield behind Salika.

Shot out?

No... Of course not.

The black-haired wizard shook his head slowly, two more gray-blue patterns appeared under his cheeks—just now, with the help of "Beyond Perception", he clearly saw that the arrow was flying in front of Salika.

It wasn't Al Yin who shot it out, it was she who "deliberately" shot it short.

The first arrow is a warning... Tell the other party plainly that your actions and speed are in my prediction, and you can't escape.

Salika's eyes widened as she stared at the thin figure opposite, and a cold touch swept through her body.

In that moment, she knew better than anyone else what was going on.

This little wizard did it on purpose... Otherwise, as long as it is a little "slow", the arrow will no longer hit the shield, but your own head!

When she raised her head, she broke out in a cold sweat, and her clenched teeth creaked.

In the next second, Salika, who was holding the blade back, no longer dodged, and rushed straight towards Ain's petite figure, her vigorous posture like an afterimage.

The narrowness of the clearing, which was less than thirty paces in diameter, was only a blink of an eye for her.

The little wizard with a blank face also shot a second arrow at this time.

"Poof——!

The bowstring snapped, and the vivid red cut through the air in a graceful arc!

Despite all the best efforts to dodge at that moment, the flying arrow tore a hole in Salica's left shoulder, and the thin layer of underwear certainly did not provide any protection.

But she was also very glad that she was not wearing any "cumbersome" armor - otherwise, with the speed of the opponent's arrows, she would never have had time to "resist" the arrows that were fired at her arms with her shoulders.

That's right, this little wizard didn't intend to kill himself in the first place, but was trying his best to get himself to surrender and then lose the ability to fight.

In this way, he who could not go into battle to kill the enemy had to hand over the Silver Armor Horse to Duke Byrne......

What a good calculation!

Even among Boi's top samurai, Salika had never seen such a powerful marksman... What did this little wizard go through to develop such a powerful archery skill?

Or are all the Lothairians unique in the world and can shoot down goshawks?!

It's already clear to her... From a distance, even three steps away, he is definitely no match for this little wizard, and in a split second, the pitch-black arrow can pierce his heart.

Want to win... You can only fight closely!

Gritting her teeth, Salika, who no longer dared to have the slightest contempt, raised her knife and pounced, attacking Al Yin.

In the face of the rapidly approaching Salika and the snowy saber, the expressionless Al Yin still stretched his bow and raised his bow......

Then, she held down the third arrow!