The outer walls of Jinyan Castle are 30 meters high and more than 15 meters thick at the thickest point, and are made of diorite, which is abundant in the vicinity. Whenever the sun sets, the dazzling sunlight falls on the west wall, and the many fine crystals in the rock shine golden, which becomes the best portrayal of the name of this fortress.

However, the interior of the turret was no different from any other fortress that the young knight had ever seen. As a close relative of granite, diorite is excellent for its hardness and thermal insulation – which means that at this time in late winter, despite the sunny outside, the inside of the walls is still damp and cold.

Elio sighed and rubbed his frozen hands vigorously to keep his fingers flexible enough. He poked his head out of the hallway, rechecking that it was safe for the time being, and then turned to look at the slender girl in a heavy coat and long light brown hair sitting at a shabby wooden table.

It was also him who was a knight...... Well, as a future knight, the goal of the oath.

Yes, he promised to protect each other for the rest of his life. But the teenagers couldn't help but wonder, how long is their "life"? Decades, years, days, or just a few hours —

Fermir Stark was already in the city, and all those who remained in the city had been on the battlefield, even Ann. With their strong walls and the momentum of their last battle, they repelled hundreds of enemy attacks and paid tens of thousands of lives for them. Among the dead, there are many warriors who are stronger than the boys—and perhaps next time, the goddess of fate will no longer favor the two.

For most of the Coalition, the only hope left was Kylo's promise and Tiana Vis Marr, who would appear in the mortal world that day. Unfortunately, Ann told him not long ago that if the "Lord of the Earth" and Lily Nono went head-to-head, the winner would ...... It must be their captain.

A crisp tapping interrupted the boy's thoughts. He straightened up reflexively, and saw the girl close the notebook and walk lightly to him.

"Come up with me and have a look." Ann wrote, looking attentive and without a hint of fear.

"Okay." The boy nodded, without hesitation. He took the scabbard from his waist and slowly pulled out Parsifal. The silvery white metal reflects the cold light, like a mirror; Elio pursed his lips and looked calmly at himself from the blade of his sword.

"Don't worry, Ann." Somehow, the young man suddenly remembered a scene in the camp on the outskirts of Youlin City a long time ago, "No matter what, I will definitely die in front of you." He saluted with his sword in a serious manner, "The knight will not break his word." ”

Ann laughed silently and bent over. She gently hammered Elio on the shoulder, then grabbed the young knight's arm, holding it with his free palm.

It's not the first time the girl has done this. Elio clenched his left hand, feeling the warmth coming from his palm. The two walked side by side, slowly climbing more than 100 steps to the top of the wide city wall. It was evening, and the setting sun had cast a long shadow over the walls of the city.

If only it weren't a shadow, or if only Golden Rock could fly, Elio thought. Smash all those enemies to death, leaving not a single one behind. He knew it was just a pipe dream. But in such a situation, what is the point of dreaming?

At least it's more reliable than expecting Captain Lily to change her mind, or Leonos to fall from the sky.

Compared to the room in the corner tower, there was more than ten times more noise everywhere. Armored heralds, dusty and blood-stained, hurried past them; The non-commissioned officers shouted, while the wounded fell to the side and groaned; The arcane-enhanced bed crossbow slowly twisted the bowstring and projected the flaming arrow a litre away; Huge barrels fell straight to the ground from above the city walls, bursting with fierce fireworks and roars; Nearly a hundred spiders more than a man tall jumped onto the city wall, their fangs opened and closed, and leaped towards the nearest human—

Most of the fighters raised their shields in time to block the not-so-ferocious pounce. The rest of the soldiers who were closer hurried to the ground, spears piercing the spider's belly and sprinkling thick green juice. The bugs struggled twice before they lost their vitality and were thrown to the foot of the wall.

The spiders had venomous mouthparts, but none of the muscles in their eight slender arthropods. Some time ago, there were also people who were responsible for cooking and drying those tough strips of meat to replenish the military food stocks. Elio had eaten a few, and they tasted pretty good, except for being a little hard.

However, as the number of defenders of the city dwindled, the living warriors had no time to do those things except to rest and defend against enemy attacks.

Another group of insects climbed the wall. The enemy does not seem to be in a hurry to launch a decisive battle, but uses the continuous attacks to wear down the will of the defenders little by little. The two spiders sandwiched Elio left and right, and the eight arthropods kicked one by one, jumping in a short arc, and slammed on the prey in front of them-

The young knight was unfazed. He hid himself behind him, his blade lightning bolting, easily splitting a spider in two. Almost at the same time, he kicked the other spider in the chest, causing it to fly more than a dozen meters away, shrinking into a ball and not moving.

It's just a swarm of bugs—a hundred times worse than Sir Hector, the boy thought disdainfully.

He saw a group of soldiers not far away being flanked, and hurriedly rushed over and slashed several spiders from behind. However, one person was unfortunately injured. The warrior fell to the ground, his face pale, his limbs twitching, and his body trembling uncontrollably.

The "cold ......" soldier struggled to keep his eyes open and struggled to make a sound, "I...... Why...... Cold ......"

The slender figure of the girl crossed Elio and leaned over to the soldiers. She pulled the dagger from her waist and wrenched the soldier's arm, expertly slicing open the wound left by the spider's fangs, squeezing out the turquoise blood.

Another soldier came running briskly to help An suppress the restlessness of the wounded. The boy stood by his side as always, alert to danger from any direction.

A flash of light from below caught his attention. The young knight followed the trail and saw nearly a hundred pitch-black metal spheres rushing into the sky, drawing parabolas and falling towards the city where they were with a roar.

It's a legacy from the Federation, the Heavy Artillery Golem - damn it, the boy thought to himself.

Compared to trebuchets or mortars, these war puppets have a longer range and more accurate shelling, which naturally means more trouble. He had heard Ann say that they could draw pure elements from the Inner Realm to generate an endless supply of ammunition; The souls that are bound in their bodies, originating from the inner realm, protect them from most of the mystical arts.

Half a day ago, the "Living Gods" launched an attack on the southern side of the city, leaving the wizarding group of the Elna people with no time to care. And at a distance close to two lits, neither the bed crossbow nor the trebuchet had much effect. If it weren't for the strong rock walls beneath their feet, they would have had no city to defend. Even so, each round of heavy artillery salvo added to the morale of the defenders, which was already low.

The rest of the soldiers saw the same scene, and they immediately ran to the nearest battlement, or they just fell on the ground and covered their heads with their arms. This is a valuable lesson that many people have learned in previous battles with their blood – and even their lives.

Elio didn't do that.

He glanced at Ann, who was still tending to his wounds, handed the sword to his left hand, leaned down, and snatched a spear from the lying soldier. Then the boy raised his head, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his body and arms leaned back violently, like a fully drawn bow—

"Ahh——!h

The spear turned into a ray of light, striking a metal projectile with the tip of the spear piercing deep into it. The cannonball suddenly changed direction, tumbling and hitting the outer wall of the wall, exploding a harmless fire.

In the next second, the remaining cannonballs fell above the city wall, and the roar suddenly drowned out all sounds. Another projectile landed more than a dozen meters away, and Elio took an arrow step, blocking the cannonball in a straight line with his body, and clenched his long sword in his right hand-

He didn't plan to use his body as a shield, it was just the last insurance. Several sharp shards whizzed in, and he didn't look at them with his eyes, but just instinctively flicked his arms and shot them all down.

There was a low exclamation from beside him, and Elio turned his head to see the soldiers looking at him with the joy of the rest of their lives, as well as disbelief, admiration, and admiration. He suddenly realized that after Sir Hector's training, his strength had already surpassed that of ordinary soldiers, and even ordinary knights. If you face Ariel again in the current situation-

Maybe it would teach her a lesson, the young knight thought.

Ann finished handling and bandaging the soldier, stood up, and used gestures to tell him about the other party's situation. It was Ann's own 'language' that only the two of them could understand. Since leaving his hometown and embarking on a journey, the girl has communicated with him only when he can't write.

"The spider's poison is not deadly, but it will weaken him for a few days...... I think that's pretty damn, so you'd better be careful. Elio relayed the girl's words, adding his own opinion in passing, "You two carry him to the wounded barracks, and Miss Ann and I will go and see the other wounded!" ”

He knew that the girl didn't want to rely on him all the time, but occasionally he felt a little regretful, like losing some common secret. Of course, if Lily's promise can still come true, so that the girl can regain her lost voice, this kind of language that belongs only to the two of them will not be needed.

Anyway, Ann has already given herself other promises, hasn't she?

He didn't have time to think too much. After the last meeting, Ann had relinquished command, but the soldiers still trusted their "general" - and perhaps himself as a guard and commando leader. The boy walked briskly through the entire length of the city wall, checking on the condition of the wounded, giving instructions and encouragement, or disposing of a few enemies with ease.

He saw the warriors cheered up by Ann's arrival, but he knew that it was only the end of the crossbow. Halfway through, they also met Bell. In the nearly a year since they came here, the Beron people have not shaved their beards, and they have grown to a dozen centimeters long—and now the beard is covered with mottled blood, like a dirty clump of seaweed.

The squad he led was still intact, and he only shouted how many enemies he had killed, and how much he wanted to have a good barbecue, which made Elio slightly calm.

When the two came to the other end of the city wall, the sun was setting in the west. The girl stopped, stared at the plains to the northwest, and took his hand once more.

"Reinforcements are coming." She said, "If all is going well with him."

She was referring to Kylo, and the young knight couldn't help but look forward to it a little more. "If we have reinforcements, can we win the war?"

"It's hard to say, probably no one knows." Ann responded, "Let's go back, there's still something to be done."

Elio nodded, and led the girl down the wall to the corner tower where they lived. There weren't many people in the city, and the last of the Shining Knights had already finished their gear and left the city to meet the enemy earlier today. Elena is among them.

He had heard from the traveling nun that the elite knights of the Church could perform a small amount of inferior magic, which was enough to ensure their daily diet with the horses. Cavalry played little role in defending the city, so they joined the battle line in batches and tried to turn the tide of battle from the enemy's rear.

As for how many people will come back alive...... Life is precious, and if this war is lost, it may be worthless.

Before Sir Hector stepped into battle, he told him this with his own mouth. The boy took it to heart, but every day before going to bed, he prayed silently three times for the safe return of Sir and Elena.

The two of them walked down the spiral staircase again, back into the cold, damp stone chamber. Elio brought the door, picked up the crockpot and poured two glasses of water, grunting one of them and exhaling a long breath.

"Speaking of which, Ann, what else did you just say—"

The young man's unfinished words were stuck in his throat, and the water he had just drunk seemed to freeze in his stomach. A familiar figure stood by the door, his armor shining and his long hair dazzling. She raised her head slightly, staring at the young knight, her gaze sharp and clear, without a trace of impurities.

Ann sat silently in the corner of the room, the blade of light piercing her shoulders and holding her firmly in place. The girl frowned, tilted her face, and gestured to convey short words.

「…… I believe in you, my knight."

Courage rose from the boy's chest and quickly dispelled the chill in his heart. Elio picked up his usual light shield, gripped his sword, and turned to his side, his eyes locked on Ariel's every move. He felt his body tremble slightly, the experience of these days on the battlefield, and the teachings of Sir Hector, seemed to be all for this moment.

He stepped forward, and Parsifal slashed like a meteor through the right chest of the Caleb Celestials. The Caleb Celestial Clan also stepped forward and raised their swords to meet them.

The sword sliced through the air, striking only a ray of lightning. Silver-white lightning climbed along the sword, crawled across the entire arm, enveloped most of the boy's body, and then exploded with a bang.

The young knight staggered back. He felt as if his right arm was soaked in boiling oil, his chest was like being hit by a hammer, and all that was left in front of him was black and white. The lightning gathered behind him in an instant, and the Celestial Clan swung his giant sword and slashed at the young man's waist—

Ann instinctively closed her eyes, only to hear the whining of metal colliding. The young knight let go of his right palm first, grabbed the sword with his left hand, and blocked the Celestials' near-killing blow from behind. He took advantage of the momentum to roll forward, rolled over and leaped to his feet, and struck with his back against the wall.

"Ariel......" The young man glared at the Celestials, his heart was more shocked than angry, "What are you doing again?!" ”

"For the sake of your lordship, you need to die." Not far away, a clear voice responded, "If you don't want to accept it, beat me." ”

Elio didn't answer. In the battle of Golden Spike City, Ariel was clearly merciful - but just now, if his reaction was even less reactive, that sword would have cost him his life.

Now she is the enemy, there is no doubt about it. Only by killing the other party can Ann's life be protected, the young knight was so sure.

The thunder and lightning made his hair stand on end, but it only took two gasps for the paralysis in his right arm to dissipate. He silently thanked 'the dragon', then gathered his mind, calmed his breath, and raised his sword again.

Once again, the battle begins.

The two of them swirled in the small stone room, the piercing metal clashing continuously. Both Elio and Ariel deliberately avoided the area where Ann was, so the girl remained unharmed - except for the first two "swords".

"The ghost will thank you for this......" The young knight gasped and muttered in a low voice, "Even if you were in the same league as Captain Lily, now, you're dead—"

Unfortunately, the reality is not so simple. Ariel's blade was half a foot longer than Parsifal's, but she swung her sword a little faster. The greatsword turned into countless lights and shadows, and the young knight managed to barely block the attack that pointed at the vital point, with all his might; His return shot either slashed through the air or sliced through the opponent's armor, leaving only a shallow mark.

The sturdy diorite absorbed the sound of the two men fighting well, or perhaps the noise outside masked everything, and no one noticed what was going on. There was no need for those people, Elio thought to himself, unless Jazz could return from the front, a few more soldiers would be just a few lives for nothing.

The greatsword swung again, and he raised his shield to unload it, but the angle was slightly different. The blade slashed diagonally, and the steel shield was immediately split in half. He tossed half of the remnant of iron away, took a step back, raised his sword with both hands over his head, and parried a thunderous slash.

However, the greatsword and the longsword were separated at the touch of a button—it was just a false move. The blade then drew an arc, faster than the vision and reaction, tore through the skirt and chain mail, and slashed firmly at the boy's waist.

The force of the violence knocked him out and slammed it against the wall, but the expected pain did not come. Elio looked around his waist, a layer of translucent cyan scales slowly fading. At the same time, a warm flame quickly spread throughout the body, dispelling exhaustion, pain, and even a little fear.

"An ancient promise...... You're in luck, Elio. Ariel made a rare stop, raised her head, and glanced at the sky blocked by the rock wall, "I wonder if Lord Leonos, did you foresee this?" ”

Elio didn't miss the opportunity. He sprang to his feet and charged with all his might, a distance of several meters in an instant. The sword enveloped his opponent's head, turning into a storm that stabbed his eyes and throat—

But the sword plunged into a cloud of lightning again. The young knight rolled sideways with all his might, barely avoiding the killing moves that followed. The giant sword slashed through the back of the waist, slicing through the armor and sending out a string of bright red blood.

"If you lose your cool." Ariel said, "You can't win. ”

"I don't need you to teach me a lesson!" Elio is a little annoyed, but that doesn't help change the situation. The Celestials' attacks seemed to be sharpening and sharpening, and the giant sword swept across his thighs, arms, and even his back, leaving blood marks one after another. That wasn't enough to affect his movements, but if it went on like this, it was only a matter of time before he failed.

He still underestimates the strength of his opponent. However...... Maybe there's a chance of winning, Elio thought.

Caleb's ability to turn into thunder and lightning is terrifying, but opponents don't use it often. It may be that you don't want to expend too much physical strength, but it's more like the skill itself is flawed. The warrior's instinct told him that the next time the opponent used this tactic, it would be his last chance.

The hard battle continued. In just over a minute, Elio had more than a dozen wounds on his body, but fortunately, none of them were fatal. He spotted Ariel's oncoming sword, turned sideways to avoid the vital point, and stabbed straight with the long sword, as if he wanted to exchange injuries for injuries—

As he expected, the Celestials' body turned into thunder and lightning, ripped out arcs, and rushed behind him.

Probably predicted a long time ago, the Celestial Clan's movements seemed to be a little slower. Elio withdrew the stab, turned around faster, spotted the intersection of the lightning and light, and grabbed Parsifal with both hands, slashing it with all his strength.

Then he slashed the thunder.

Thunder and lightning pierced his torso, leaping and rushing between his limbs, several times more violent than the previous two times. The electric current imprisoned all his movements, robbed him of his sight and touch, and even his brain seemed to be no longer working. The pain became all of the world in an instant, and he shouted loudly, but he couldn't hear anything.

Then the pain began to subside, and the five senses returned to the body once again. Elio subconsciously lowered his head and saw the silver-white greatsword pierce through his left chest, revealing a full two feet long. Blood spilled out of his chest and slid down the blade of the sword, leaving no trace.

I see, Elio thought to himself. The Caleb Celestial Clan was good at all kinds of offensive magic techniques, and he forgot about this, and just fell into the calculation of the other party.

For defeat and death, the young knight has a corresponding consciousness. Now, he only has one thing left-

His gaze was halfway through the room and fell to the corner by the door. The girl raised her head lightly, her expression calm, and a teardrop in the corner of her eye. She clasped her hands together and conveyed silent words.

"You have kept your oath, my knight...... I'll be with you. Don't be afraid."

Consciousness faded away, and he closed his eyes. I really want to go home.