Finding that the crossbow bolt failed to hit Lance, Joel Crais scratched his hair irritably.
At this moment, his hatred for Lance had reached its peak!
This low-ranker had actually exhausted his noble Blessing through a sneak attack!
Even more detestable, this low-ranker dared to make him lose face in front of the Saintess!
If the Saintess misjudged him and thought he was a useless waste, what would he do!
No! He had to be eliminated today!
“McCarran! Go stop him! Do not let him escape!”
“Yes, Lord Crais!”
McCarran was the handsome young knight who had been blown back by Lance’s Wind Pressure earlier.
The young knight shared the same thoughts as his superior.
Previously, he had been struck by Lance’s sword so hard that his shoulder bone shattered.
If the Saintess hadn’t casually cast a Healing Art on him, he might have been forced to transfer to a clerical role!
Even if it was an ambush, being beaten into such a state by a stray warrior said enough about his own skill!
He could not leave the Saintess with the impression that he was incompetent! He had to take him down!
The handsome knight bowed, then donned his helmet and Charged toward Lance.
Feeling a High Knight lunging at him, Lance actually breathed a sigh of relief.
He stopped in his tracks instantly and launched a counter-charge toward the incoming young knight!
McCarran’s eyes, hidden beneath his helmet, widened instantly. He never expected this cornered knight would dare to stop, let alone sprint toward him!
The anticipated time to engage the enemy was immediately shortened.
But he hadn’t finished gathering strength for his strike!
Clang—
The sound of clashing metal echoed through the alley!
The knight’s sword, unprepared for the impact, was sent flying from his hand by Lance’s longsword!
But it wasn’t over yet!
Lance flipped his longsword, avoiding the blade’s edge, and then exerted sudden force.
He smashed the flat of the blade against the young knight’s helmet!
Thud!
The young knight’s ears immediately began to ring!
Even his consciousness vibrated wildly!
Seizing this opportunity, Lance’s free hand reached out and forcibly tore off the young knight’s half-enclosed helmet.
‘Oh, he looks a bit familiar!’
‘Is he the lackey from yesterday who risked his life to save people?’
‘His status isn’t low!’
Lance’s mind raced, and he immediately abandoned his original plan to turn and run.
Instead, he pressed the longsword against the handsome knight’s neck.
As expected, the Blonde Knight’s expression changed drastically once Lance took the knight hostage.
This was his adjutant!
He was a trusted aide appointed by his teacher! If he died here, it would likewise prove his incompetence as a Knight Squad Leader!
The Blonde Knight hurriedly waved his hand, signaling the crossbowmen who were preparing to fire to stop.
After the soldiers complied, Joel Crais stared with dark, sinister eyes at the Silver-armored Knight in his tattered gear and spoke every word with heavy emphasis:
“What do you want to do?”
Lance did not intend to reveal too much and shouted from a distance:
“How did you find me! Who gave you the tip!”
“Why should I tell you?!”
“Why?”
Lance sneered and pushed the young knight’s head forward slightly.
The cold blade immediately cut into the fragile neck, and a small stream of blood leaked out.
“Wait!”
The Blonde Knight immediately shouted to stop Lance’s movement.
He then gave a look to the crossbowman beside him.
The crossbowman understood, ran to the rear, and dragged out a middle-aged man who had been beaten black and blue.
Lance froze, failing to recognize who it was for a moment.
But as soon as the man spoke, Lance immediately realized his identity!
Old Jael!
The moment the middle-aged man saw the Blonde Knight, he collapsed to his knees and begged for mercy:
“My Lord! My Lord!”
“I really wasn’t lying! My son really spoke to that knight! He really lives here!”
“I really know his true identity! He really is only low-order!”
A look of disgust flashed in the Blonde Knight’s eyes as he stepped aside, avoiding the middle-aged man’s grasping hands.
“Fine, fine! I know how much of what you said is credible now!”
Hearing their conversation, Lance breathed a sigh of relief.
It sounded like Noren wasn’t in their hands.
It was likely just Old Jael finding out from his son that Lance was the culprit who attacked the Knight Order’s big shots.
He wanted to sell Lance out for a profit.
Looking at his state, it seemed the Blonde Knight hadn’t believed him at first.
‘Huh? Why is this Elemental Tier suddenly flying this way?’
‘Um… Lance, you probably can’t run away now.’
Falia’s slightly puzzled voice suddenly rang in his head.
But this gave Lance a massive shock. An Elemental Tier… that definitely had to be the Church’s Regional Cardinal!
‘Am I being stalled?’
No longer hesitating, Lance slashed with his longsword, choosing to end the hostage’s life directly.
He immediately pulled back and Charged toward the mouth of the alley.
The Blonde Knight froze, looking at the fleeing Silver-armored Knight in disbelief.
What happened?!
Wasn’t he supposed to negotiate terms with me next? Why did he just kill the hostage?
“Ah!”
The Blonde Knight quickly jumped down from the platform and summoned an Advanced Healing Scroll from a pouch at his waist.
“Don’t you dare die! If Master thinks I’m a leader who can’t even manage a squad, the trouble will be huge!”
‘Master! Didn’t you say there were only two High Ranks? Why is there an Elemental Tier flying here!’
Hearing this, Falia felt a bit embarrassed and explained softly:
‘I don’t know. She was very far away just now and wasn’t moving, so I didn’t take it seriously.’
‘But she suddenly started flying here at full speed. I didn’t expect it either.’
‘Then what do I do now! Do you have a secret technique to teleport me away!’
‘I’m so stupid! Why did I ever trust this Witch’s words!’
If he had known an Elemental Tier was rushing over, he would never have wasted time confronting that Blonde Knight!
‘If you can find one of my hands, I actually could teleport you away.’
‘But now… it seems impossible…’
‘But don’t worry! Those two Element Lords will be automatically transported back to my Element Pool in a while.’
‘We can just run then.’
Lance instinctively felt there was still hope, so he asked:
‘Then how long until they return to your Element Pool?’
‘Um… about six days?’
‘Huh? Then what am I supposed to do until then?’
‘In short, protect yourself!’
Having said that, Falia suddenly vanished. No matter how much Lance shouted, she didn’t answer, as if she had never existed.
So unreliable!
Thump thump thump—
Lance’s sense of danger pulsed wildly; he could clearly perceive that he had been located through some sort of means.
After fleeing for another while, a holy light gradually brightened behind him.
Lance’s hair stood on end. Just as he wanted to struggle a bit more, he slammed into a thick Holy Power Shield out of thin air!
This shield was thicker than his life!
Before he could make his next move, the shield changed shape, turning into a giant hammer that smashed down toward Lance.
Boom—
Lance’s brain immediately went blank.
His vision vanished for an instant.
When a bit of consciousness returned, Lance immediately dropped the longsword in his hand.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but ended up being smashed several more times.
‘Wait… they really want to finish me off…’