Chapter 899 The Arrogant One
"I never thought I'd see you here..." Front's voice was deep, yet it seemed to resonate with the sea, audible even from a great distance.
"I also never thought I'd see you in this situation." The Knight Captain looked over with a complex expression, "Aren't you going to explain, William Orwell?"
"I have already abandoned that name," Front said after a moment of silence, "I am now God's Right Seat of the Roman Orthodox Church—Front."
"I see, so that's your explanation..." The Knight Captain drew the demonic sword fragarach from the shadow at his feet, "William, you betrayed Our."
"No, you've got one thing wrong." Front shook his head, "I never swore an oath to become a knight; I am merely a mercenary. There's no such thing as betrayal."
"Being skilled at sophistry is indeed very mercenary-like," the Knight Captain sneered, "I don't remember when you became such an eloquent person."
Front walked on the water, heading towards the shore: "I am merely stating facts, and..."
He pointed to the shadow at the Knight Captain's feet: "Speaking of magical formulas, you've learned this trick of mine quite well."
Accompanied by a splashing sound, a massive steel pole appeared in Front's hand—over five meters long, its overall shape resembling a knight's lance, but much thicker than a "lance," even better described as a "pillar."
In short, it was more like a construction material than a weapon used by humans.
Front also took this enormous weapon from the shadow at his feet, but because of its immense size, he incidentally stirred up colossal waves when he lifted the steel pole.
"So, have you made up your mind?" Front seemed to feel no massive weight in his hand, easily holding the steel pole level with one hand, pointing directly at the Knight Captain opposite him, "Since you've drawn your sword, does that mean war?"
"This is... the worst possible development." The Knight Captain muttered softly, "I should have found someone to divine before I left home."
In fairness, the Knight Captain had somewhat anticipated this kind of development.
But when the situation truly escalated to this point—having to break ties with his former close friend, even to the point of armed confrontation—it still filled him with emotion.
He originally had many questions he wanted to ask, and even imagined persuading him to change his mind...
But the Knight Captain knew that when William Orwell emerged from the water and stood opposite him, some things were already fated.
The man opposite him had always had his own ideals and beliefs, and possessed the reliable strength and firm will to put them into practice.
—Such a stubborn fellow could not be persuaded!
Since that's the case...
The surface of the demonic sword fragarach boiled, gushing out a large amount of reddish-black substance, rapidly enveloping the sword body like thick magma.
The originally standard-shaped knight's longsword deformed accordingly.
Soon, what appeared in the Knight Captain's hand was also a behemoth over three meters long.
The moment the weapon formed, the Knight Captain's figure suddenly vanished, leaving only circles of shockwaves exploding at his original standing position.
But at the same time, Front's figure on the sea also disappeared, and the seawater continued to lap against the shore in waves, as if nothing had happened...
Boom!
A huge collision sound, accompanied by bursting air currents, exploded above the coastline, like a thunderclap out of nowhere.
The seawater near the shore was forced back into the sea, while the massive concrete wave breakers on the shore scattered and flew like small pebbles in the air currents...
The roar was continuous, sweeping along the coastline, almost ravaging the entire embankment.
Like a typhoon passing through, the suppressed seawater then surged back even more violently, forming a small tsunami that relentlessly pounded the embankment.
Fortunately, this disaster-like scene lasted for only a very short time, stopping abruptly at a certain point.
The shattered fragments of the wave breakers splattered everywhere, and the Knight Captain's body crashed through dozens of concrete blocks, finally hitting the seawall and embedding deeply within it...
The demonic sword fragarach was also returned to its original form; the thick black and red blood was completely washed away by the massive amount of seawater, leaving the sword body pale and clean without a trace of impurity.
The Knight Captain coughed up blood while feeling fortunate in his heart—that fragarach hadn't broken directly was already a blessing in disguise.
His former close friend, as expected, was still as good as ever at one thing—bullying others with power!
One must know that the steel pole in William Orwell's hand was just a steel pillar; it wasn't some famous spear or sword, nor was it a magical spirit outfit. Its only characteristics were its immense mass and its ability to withstand William Orwell's massive amount of magic power...
Clang!
The steel pole fell onto a wave breaker, easily crushing the concrete block with its own weight.
"I am a Saint; your magic power is not as much as mine;" Front said, "and I now also possess Angel Power, and even in terms of mass, I am stronger, so you are not my opponent."
Saying that, Front directly put away his weapon: "Such a result was already destined; there's nothing to be surprised about—you, too, should have realized this long ago, right?"
"How... how ridiculous." The Knight Captain coughed up blood and said with a bitter smile, "I thought... I could last a few more moves..."
"I'm sorry, Captain, this isn't a sparring match, but war." Front said, "It's boring, isn't it? War is never interesting; the strong defeat the weak, that's all. That's why I've always said, leave professional matters to professionals—and this, is my mission..."
"You are too arrogant, William!" The Knight Captain said, "They say we knights are all arrogant fellows, but to me, you are truly arrogant... You always want to solve everything by yourself—are you planning to save the world?"
"Yes, if I can save the world, I will," Front actually nodded, "And I am indeed doing so—to maintain peace."
To extinguish war in its infancy, Front personally took action. He wanted to defeat and crush Lin Wuming, to restore the Roman Orthodox Church's reputation.
This way, he could silence the hardliners and extremists within the Orthodox Church, depriving them of an excuse for full-scale war.
At the same time, he could also intimidate Academy City, making them dare not initiate conflict.
"I will not kill Lin Wuming, just as he did not harm the battle nuns." Front said, "That will be a fair duel—to prevent a potential war through a duel, maintaining peace. No one will be harmed."
This was Front's plan and wish, seemingly fantastical, but in a situation where absolute powerhouses existed on both sides, the operation of replacing "war" with "duel" indeed had a certain feasibility, and it could indeed maximize the avoidance of casualties among innocent civilians.
Arrogant and confident, recognizing his own uniqueness and strength, accepting this fact, and fully utilizing this power to implement his will—all these ultimately made the man known as "Front."
