The Devil’s Cage

There were over hundreds of flights of stairs before the palace gate.

Every flight of stairs was 10 meters long and half a meter wide. It was also as tall as 35 cm per stair causing a tough and uncomfortable climb up the stairs, but it set off the prestigious feeling of the palace gate.

The gate was mixed with gold and red color; carvings of rose, the Warren royal family emblem, were all over it. Beside the gate were two 20 meters tapestries hanging from the tower on top, around 3 meters off ground at the end. One side had the embroidery of an unsheathed sword, the other was a shield. Even without the corresponding emblem knowledge, Kieran could guess what the emblem meant, courage and fearlessness.

In fact, the embroidery on the tapestries had a similar meaning from Kieran’s guess.

The sword represented one of the kings within the Warren royal family and the conquest he led himself.

The shield represent also one of the kings defending a siege from the enemies on the castle wall.

In that moment, in front of the gate and between the tapestries stood a silver armored knight riding on a white horse. His visor was lifted up, revealing a valiant face within, but the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes signified that he was not a young man.

However, his arm was strong. The lance that he was holding stood straight up at the night sky without a slight wobble.

When he laid eyes on Kieran, he didn’t even have the intention to speak. He whipped his war horse and prepared to charge on.

”Hyak!”

A lion-like shout preceded the knight charging from the palace gate.

The white war horses’ hooves were stepping precisely on the stairs with utmost agility, as if it was galloping on a flat ground. With the momentum charging from the top, the silver knight seemed unstoppable.

When Kieran saw the silver knight charging at him, he charged on as well without any hesitation.

”Neighhh!”

The Night Owl released a sharp neigh and set its scarlet red eyes on the snow white war horse. Its sharp teeth were revealed when it opened its mouth for the neigh.

The Night Owl had a natural repulsive feeling towards the color white, even more so towards a white war horse. However, the white war horse on the opposite side was not afraid of the Night Owl’s intimidating presence. In fact, it accelerated even faster.

The silver knight showed a face of disdain before closing down his visor. The lance that was pointing towards the sky a moment ago was laid straight, pointing its sharp tip towards Kieran. The silver knight had utmost confidence that he could jolt Kieran down with one strike.

Not only because he was riding Warren’s finest warhorse, but also because of the lance that he was wielding.

It wasn’t a standard issued army lance but was instead a compact version of a dragon lance.

Even if it was shrunk down, it was still 4 meters long, sharp and sturdy. Moreover, the enchantment from the sorcerer made it even more indestructible.

Together with the force of the charge from the war horse, he could even penetrate a steel block, let alone a person, and it was also because of his war horse and his dragon lance that he was granted the title of ”the ever victorious”.

Looking at his opponent, all he was wielding was a heavy two-handed greatsword. Its power might be unrivaled during a land fight, but in a riding skirmish?

Any qualified rider could easily locate his enemy’s weak point, it was the length!

The two-handed greatsword might be as tall as man and packed quite the power in common weaponry, but compared to the common knight lance that was already 3 meters in length?

It differed quite a bit, let alone compared to the one the silver knight was using, a condensed version of a dragon lance.

On top of that, he still had the force of charging from above. His advantages was not just a single point; the result had been decided from the start!

”I am the victor!”

The silver knight declared it, and his mind was already fantasizing the rewards from Jeanne.

Thus, it fueled his white horse to gallop faster, and he gripped his lance even firmer.

The silver knight was eager to win the duel.

Dak Dak Dak Dak Dak Dak!

One white, one black.

One was charging downwards, the other was charging upwards.

As both sides approached rapidly, the silver knight calculated the distance in his heart and launched his lance!

His lance was fast as a comet; the air-breaking speed formed a powerful air pressure, firing its force towards Kieran like an arrow let loose.

Souuu!

However, the force from the air pressure missed its target, and not only that, the dragon lance behind it missed as well.

”What!?”

The silver knight cried in shock when he saw that the Night Owl’s back was devoid of the rider.

Instinctively, the silver knight wanted to retract his lance and lunge it towards Night Owl’s stomach. He was confident that Kieran was hiding below.

But it was too late, or should it be, too slow.

When the 4 meter long lance performed a stab forward, it might cover the attack range such that one could not even keep up with the dust behind it, but it was destined to be less agile in wielding due to the overlong length.

Pumm!

The dark red greatsword cleaved horizontally. Both horses galloped past each other, and Kieran landed back on the Night Owl’s back.

Though the silver knight’s torso felt on the ground after his white horse galloped a couple more steps forward.

A green glowing book and equipment appeared on the silver knight’s body.

The white horse was neighing in sorrow following its master’s demise, and Kieran picked up his loots with a calm face. He would never feel sorry for his enemy’s passing.

If it wasn’t for his Grand Master level [Riding] together with the Night Owl which was different from other common steed, the one who died would be Kieran.

A common war horse couldn’t have reached the level of the Night Owl, which allowed him to step away for a dodge while still bearing tons of heavy equipment behind.

He was afraid that with that amount of weight on him, a slight movement would cause him to topple down together with the horse; even a Grand Master level [Riding] couldn’t save him.

After all, the [Riding] skill couldn’t alter the properties of a steed.

Without concerning himself with his two loots, Kieran laid eyes on the tightly shut palace gate.

His sharp senses could clearly picked up a dense malicious intent from behind those gates.

Tssssk Gak!

Then, the tightly shut gate opened up slowly under Kieran’s stare.

After an irritating screech from the pivot and frame, what followed was a depressing silence.

Even the night breeze paused after the gate was opened.

All that was left was the immutable darkness beyond the palace gate, as if it was a giant mouth of a beast, waiting for Kieran to fall into its snare.

Kieran had a calm expression on his face and oversaw the scene with cool eyes.

[Fear: You are within Target’s Fear range, Spirit has passed the authentication, no debuff occurred…]

[Fear: You are within Target’s Fear range, Spirit has passed the authentication, no debuff occurred…]

The battlelog notification that continuously popped up, clearly informed him that the scene before him was not some tricks and pranks, but it was not a reason enough for him to retreat.

After spending so much effort to reach the palace, Kieran was not there just for a couple Magic rank equipments.

Kieran thought a move and the Night Owl, which was connected to him, instantly spread its limbs and sprinted inside the palace gate like an arrow let loose.

Tsssk Gak!

After Kieran entered the palace, the gate let out an irritating screech again and slowly shut itself.

The night breeze returned and caressed the earth; everything returned to the silence, untill…

KABOOOM!

Blazing fire rose up high inside the palace.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

A fast and furious battle.