A stunned silence.
Everyone was shocked. Haydson had just completed a major duel with Olivier, and now he wanted to challenge Linley to a duel?
Linley was silent for a moment, then spoke. “Haydson, what do you mean by this?”
Haydson smiled. “Last time at the Coloseeum, you and Olivier didn’t finish your duel, but Olivier had drawn his obsidian sword, and you had prepared your adamantine heavy sword. I remember at that time, you had said that your adamantine heavy sword techniques were based on the Laws of the Earth, right?”
“Indeed.” Linley nodded.
“I, too, am a person who studies the Laws of the Earth. I imagine that if we were to engage in a competition, it would be of great benefit to both of us in our attempts to break through to a higher level of understanding.” Haydson looked at Linley. “Linley, I’d like to invite you to spar. Would you accept?”
Neither the surrounding nobles nor Emperor Johann dared to make a sound.
One was reputedly the strongest Saint alive. The other was a Saint who was a genius the likes of which the world had never seen.
“Big brother…” Wharton couldn’t help but speak out.
Linley turned to glance at his little brother. He chuckled.
Wharton, in his heart, was frantic and angry. He thought to himself, “This Haydson really is despicable. He just finished beating Olivier to the brink of death. Does he now want to kill my big brother as well? Is it because he saw both my big brother and Olivier are both geniuses, and are afraid that in the future, they would threaten his status?”
Wharton wasn’t the only person thinking this. Many of the people present were thinking this as well.
After all, Linley and Olivier were both dazzling geniuses. One had been beaten to the point where whether or not he would survive was at question. And now, Haydson invited Linley to spar? Many people naturally questioned his real motives.
“What, you refuse?” Haydson asked with a laugh.
Linley looked at Haydson, a smile on his face. “Name a time, and name a place?”
Haydson was startled.
He immediately understood that this meant Linley was accepting his challenge. “I’ve already competed today against Olivier and am not in peak form. How about this. Three months from now, on August 4th, in the air above Mt. Tujiao, east of the city. Let’s have our competition there.”
“Fine.” Linley smiled and nodded.
Linley wanted to duel with Haydson as well. He had just begun to understand this Pulseguard Defense technique. Combining that with his ‘Profound Truths of the Earth’ attack, Linley didn’t think that he would be easily defeated. After all, he not only was protected by the Pulseguard Defense, he also was protected by his draconic scales. With such powerful defenses, most likely it would be hard to say if Haydson’s was better or his own was better.
“Since this is the case, then your Imperial Majesty, Linley, I’ll bid you farewell.” Haydson nodded to each of them, then transformed into a gray streak of light as he flew away into the sky.
“Big bro…” Wharton ran over frantically.
“I’m fine. Victory and defeat is yet to be determined.” Linley smiled confidently, and then he led his people back towards their residence.
As for those nobles and the members of the imperial clan, they were all engaged in endless speculation. After a while though, all of them returned back to the imperial capital as well under the cover of rain.
The Channe River once more regained its normal peacefulness. Only the mess left behind at the riverbanks gave testament to the earlier excitement.
………..
At the place where the Channe River and the Yulan River intersected, a six story tall enormous ship was sailing from the Yulan River into the Channe River. A row of knights were standing in a neat row on the deck.
Many of those powerful knights had magical beasts as well. Ordinary people did not have access to magical beasts; for so many of the knights to have magical beasts meant that the status of the person on this ship was quite extraordinary.
“When we arrive at the Channe River, we’ll be only three days out from the imperial capital of the O’Brien Empire. Unfortunately, we’ll have missed the duel between the Prodigy Sword Saint, Olivier, and Lord Haydson.”
The warriors on the ship’s deck were chatting amongst each other.
Right at this time, a man with white streaked hair came out onto the top deck. He seemed to be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties. By his side was a brown-furred bear that looked charmingly naïve. This bear was roughly as tall as a person was, and seemed very cute.
“Growl. Growl. Master. I really don’t feel comfortable here on the water. Let’s fly instead.” That charmingly naïve seeming bear said to the middle-aged man.
“I know you hate water.” The middle-aged man laughed as he walked to the chain linked side of the boat, staring down into the waves.
“Your Honor.” Seeing the middle-aged man, the soldiers on the ship deck all said respectfully. Just at this time, a tall, golden-haired beautiful woman came walking out with a smile. Laughing, she headed towards the middle-aged man. “Teacher, we’ve already arrived at the Channe River. We should be arriving at the O’Brien Empire soon.”
The middle-aged man laughed as he glanced at the golden-haired woman. “Haha. Indeed we are. Delia, I think you are even more impatient than I am.”