“Agreed!”

  Grandma Saint Karen’s voice echoed faintly in the air.

  Saint Viggo stared intently at the seemingly empty space but couldn’t find an opportunity to act. After a long silence, he finally remarked, “That woman has left.”

  Hughes let out a breath of relief and said to Saint Viggo, “I’ll find his weakness in the dreamscape.”

  “The next time we meet on the battlefield will be his end,” Hughes decred.

  Saint Viggo responded calmly, “You are a high-ranking knight and a practitioner of the Ebrelrahan Cn’s Blood Furnace. Your strength far surpasses his.”

  “His swordsmanship is cunning and fierce, undoubtedly the Angel’s Thorn of the Arsilo Family.”

  “But your Golden Requiem is no less potent,” Saint Viggo continued, his tone unwavering. “Last time, you simply failed to defeat him within a few moves; it wasn’t a loss.”

  “You must have confidence in yourself.”

  Hughes lowered his head in deep thought. After a long pause, he said, “I failed to stop him from killing Jonan. That’s a loss. Making excuses is meaningless.”

  Saint Viggo offered no further consotion and merely said, “From what you described, he likely didn’t study abroad in the Fars Empire but rather in Byron, just like Jonan.”

  Nearby, an elderly mage wiped the sweat from his forehead and murmured, “Master Viggo makes sense. I must have misread my divination.”

  ...

  In his bedroom, Charlot Mecklenburg was following his usual routine of cultivating Blood Glory.

  The Insight Sigil on his forehead quivered slightly, and in the next moment, he found himself standing in a desote wilderness. Grandma Saint Karen was seated under a rge tree, sipping tea with a serene smile.

  Charlot hurried over and asked, “Grandma Karen, do you have something to discuss with me?”

  Grandma Saint Karen replied, “That boy Hughes wants to duel you in the dreamscape. He’s even promised that if you agree, the South Seraph restorationists will retreat.”

  “In the dreamscape, he cannot kill you. Gaining some experience in battling high-ranking Transcendents wouldn’t hurt. Why not duel him a few times?”

  Charlot was taken aback and quickly protested, “Let him attack Silver Dove Castle a few more times. I don’t need him to retreat.”

  If Hughes were to retreat, the byrinthification of Silver Dove Castle would be disrupted—a result Charlot absolutely couldn’t afford.

  As for gaining more experience against high-ranking opponents, Charlot thought he already had more than enough. The idea of accumuting even more seemed wholly unnecessary.

  Grandma Saint Karen couldn’t help but chuckle. “Very well. I’ll decline the dream duel on your behalf.”

  Charlot pondered for a moment before adding, “Grandma, could you pass a message to Hughes for me? Tell him if he sends a hundred men to attack Silver Dove Castle twenty times, I’ll share with him a big secret. This secret concerns the very life and death of South Seraph…”

  “In short, it’s extremely important.”

  Of course, Charlot had no idea what secret about South Seraph’s fate he could possibly reveal. But if Hughes fell for the bluff and sent a hundred men to attack Silver Dove Castle twenty times, the city’s byrinthification would be completed.

  He even accounted for a few extra attacks, just in case Hughes realized the ruse halfway through and stopped this “aid” to his enemy.

  Grandma Saint Karen found Charlot’s antics increasingly amusing and said with a smile, “I can deliver the message for you.”

  Her figure gradually faded, only to reappear moments ter. She told Charlot, “The young man said that if you agree to duel, he’ll attack the castle as you requested.”

  Charlot was overjoyed and excimed, “Then have him start attacking immediately!”

  Grandma Saint Karen enthusiastically reyed the message again and returned shortly. “The other side insists on dueling first.”

  Charlot quickly replied, “The attacks must come first—twenty times.”

  Grandma Saint Karen, thoroughly entertained by the back-and-forth, went back and forth several more times. Eventually, they reached an agreement: Hughes would attack the castle five times, duel once, attack another five times, and so on.

  Charlot spped his thigh in amusement, thinking, “This guy is quite cautious. If he knew I was actively byrinthifying Silver Dove Castle, he’d never have agreed so readily.”

  Hughes, on the other hand, couldn’t fathom Charlot’s intentions. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t make sense of it. However, he was convinced he couldn’t let Charlot’s “plot” succeed. He also didn’t believe Charlot knew any secret critical to South Seraph’s survival. Thus, Hughes decided that after one duel, he’d stop adhering to the agreement altogether.

  ...

  Back in reality, Charlot resumed his cultivation of Blood Glory. During this period, he devoted every spare moment to rigorous practice, refusing even the slightest rexation.

  He had no choice—others could afford to sck off, risking only slow progress or stagnation. For Charlot, failing to cultivate diligently could mean confronting the descent of the Labyrinth God.

  True to their word, the South Seraph forces sent a hundred men to attack Silver Dove Castle. By coincidence, Dubin Alger was on night watch duty. The attack was so feeble that Dubin, leading his elite combat squad, easily repelled it without bothering to inform Charlot.

  After Dubin fended off the first wave, the South Seraph troops unched another attack with a hundred men. Puzzled by their bizarre persistence, Dubin once again commanded his team to repel the assault.

  By the third wave, Dubin finally grew frustrated and sent someone to inform Charlot. Upon learning of the situation, Charlot directed Yellow Bear’s combat squad to provide support but didn’t make an appearance himself.

  Hours ter, Charlot touched his diary, and a wave of intent flowed through. The progress of Silver Dove Castle’s byrinthification: 9/18.

  Feeling a sense of satisfaction, he mused, “At least half the progress is complete. I wonder if Hughes will stick to the agreement and unch more attacks?”

  ...

  As dawn broke, Grandma Saint Karen brought Charlot back into the dreamscape, where he once again faced Hughes, armed with his bck Knight’s Lance.

  Hughes spread his legs, bent slightly forward, and, without saying a word, unched a sudden charge.

  Charlot had no choice but to draw Blood Rose and employ the secret Arsilo Swordsmanship. After exchanging a few moves, Charlot was quickly at a disadvantage.

  Though he had mastered four movements of Angel’s Twelve Movements—Fire of Dawn, Dawn’s Light, Eternal Dawn, and Wings of the Young Dragon—he still fell short against Hughes’ full power. He relied on the Swiftstep Technique, Spider Technique, and Wings of the Young Dragon to enhance his speed, managing only to evade and counter sporadically.

  After over thirty exchanges, Charlot finally slipped. Hughes pierced him with the Knight’s Lance, “killing” him.

  Despite being in the dreamscape, Charlot felt a sharp pain. As his body shattered into fragments and disappeared, he shouted, “Jonan was just a decoy! The real Jonan is…”

  He vanished from Hughes’ sight.

  Hughes stepped forward, yelling, “How could Jonan be a decoy?”

  “You’re spouting nonsense! Come back here!”

  Charlot’s consciousness returned to his body, and he still felt a lingering pain in his chest. Letting out a faint chuckle, he muttered, “Hughes should’ve taken the bait.”