Work Prophet
Chapter 514 - 132: A Disparate Martial Contest

Chapter 514: Chapter 132: A Disparate Martial Contest

When Ferdinand was about ten steps away from the Earth Bear, he leveled the spear in his hands, aiming for his opponent’s chest.

It was said that the Earth Bear found plate armor too troublesome to put on and off, and since most battles ended very quickly, often in just a few breaths, he simply stopped wearing armor altogether.

His arrogant demeanor also provoked dissatisfaction among many of his opponents, yet those who had wanted to teach him a lesson were either lying in bed or already buried underground.

The majority of the onlookers also did not fancy the chances of this young lord from the Western Empire.

However, Edward II’s face showed a hint of admiration.

For just from this short charge, one could tell the young man’s riding skills were exceptional, handling his horse with great finesse. Even during the charge, there was no severe swaying of his upper body, and the spear was steady in his hand.

The Emperor called over his Guard Commander and asked, "Who is this man?"

"Ferdinand from the Batoris Family, a retainer to Marquis Kuren."

"Batoris?" The name was somewhat unfamiliar to Edward II; he racked his brains but couldn’t remember anything.

"A small family with just a few thousand vassals, their ancestors haven’t produced any noteworthy figures." Guard Commander Duren added.

His Majesty gave a grunt of acknowledgment, "What’s his relationship with Ireya? I see they are always together."

"I don’t know, probably friends. Do you want me to have someone investigate?"

"No need to rush, let’s wait until the duel is over. We might not need to investigate at all," replied the Emperor.

Although Edward II appreciated Ferdinand, it was clear he didn’t have high hopes for him, especially since the Earth Bear had been brutal in his previous fights, and it was uncertain if Ferdinand would survive this one.

While they were speaking, Ferdinand had already clashed with the Earth Bear.

To everyone’s surprise, the Earth Bear tried to grab the spear with his bare hands, but just as he was about to succeed, Ferdinand suddenly twisted his wrist, switching from a forehand to a backhanded grip, and stabbed towards the Earth Bear’s eyes!

The entire move was done in one fluid motion, swift and clean!

The Earth Bear was caught off guard. With such a short distance between them, he had few options and was forced to retreat while raising his great sword to block.

The spear finally struck the blade, and Ferdinand smoothly sunk his wrist, continuing to thrust towards the Earth Bear’s chest, but it was a feint that circled back to the starting point.

And the Earth Bear seized the opportunity to try to break the spear. In the end, Ferdinand chose not to resist and pulled back his spear, meanwhile galloping past the Earth Bear.

After circling around, he charged back into the fray.

"A smart move," Edward II praised.

This young noble from the Western Empire clearly understood the vast difference in strength between himself and the Earth Bear and chose to use the charge of his horse to compensate for the disparity.

In this way, the combined strength of man and horse could contend with the Earth Bear.

But Cornelia wasn’t convinced by this tactic, "If the Earth Bear were so easy to handle, I wouldn’t have given him the title of the Thorny Shield."

"After all, Ferdinand is from the Western Empire. It’s normal for him not to understand how terrifying bloodline power can be," said Edward II.

His words had just fallen when Ferdinand resorted to the same tactic, charging toward the Earth Bear on horseback once again.

The Earth Bear behaved similarly to before, blocking with his great sword while attempting to snatch the weapon from Ferdinand’s hands. However, he had apparently underestimated his opponent this time.

Ferdinand’s spear was extremely agile, always managing to slip away at critical moments. Moreover, during their second exchange, Ferdinand even pierced the Earth Bear’s clothing, barely missing injuring the Earth Bear.

This bolstered his confidence, and even the surrounding spectators began to feel that he might have a chance.

On Ferdinand’s third charge toward the Earth Bear, the Earth Bear, irritated by the harassment, took the initiative and swung his sword at Ferdinand.

Ferdinand laid nearly flat on his horse’s back, dodging the swing of the sword, and simultaneously struck toward the Earth Bear’s jaw with his spear, forcing the Earth Bear back.

Just as they were about to pass by each other, the Earth Bear suddenly reached out and grabbed the tail of the warhorse.

The warhorse stumbled from the pull, while the Earth Bear was only dragged into taking a small half-step before steadying himself, demonstrating a godly strength that made everyone on the scene gasp in shock.

In this dire moment, Ferdinand’s spear seemed to grow eyes, reaching behind to aim directly at the Earth Bear’s throat.

However, the Earth Bear simply tilted his head to avoid it, and then he wielded his great sword, not to chop at Ferdinand, but at his horse beneath.

Startled, the horse tried to sprint away but was still struck by the great sword, breaking one of its legs, and Ferdinand fell to the ground along with it.

The head of the Batoris Family appeared to have taken a hard fall, rolling several times on the ground.

Ireya felt her heart leap with tension and yelled at the referee, "He’s lost, he’s already lost, quickly declare the winner of this duel!"

The referee hesitated, glanced at Ferdinand lying on the ground, but then saw him staggeringly stand back up.

Ferdinand’s spear had flown out of his hand when he fell from the horse, but the head of the Batoris Family still had his own sword, River’s Spear, and drew it out in no time.

Seeing this, the referee swallowed back the words that had reached his lips.

Clearly, the young noble who was slightly disheveled not far off indicated with his actions that he was determined to continue fighting.

The Lady’s sense of unease grew stronger as she noticed the grim smile spreading across the Earth Bear’s face, who even glanced in her direction.

"If there is danger later, is there any way to save Ferdinand?"

Miss Rabbit sought help from Li Yu. She knew that outsiders couldn’t intervene in the ongoing duel, so she was unsure how to prevent Ferdinand’s death.

But she knew that if there was someone in this world who could do it, it had to be Li Yu!

However, this time Li Yu did not respond, just continued to watch the duel in the arena.

Compared to the spear, in fact, the two-handed sword was the weapon with which Ferdinand was most proficient; he had chosen the spear merely to complement fighting on horseback.

Now gripping the hilt of his sword again, his eyes showed no fear. He even took the initiative to attack.

With a fury-driven move, he launched a Vortex Strike, but it was easily parried by the Earth Bear. Then it was the Earth Bear’s turn to counterattack with a straightforward Close Combat Strike.

Ferdinand felt the River’s Spear in his hand as if it were about to fly out; the strength seemed unimaginable for any Half-Beast, and he could only rely on his footwork to dodge this attack.