Axel
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Chapter 311: Only a Saint Rank Can Oppose a Saint Rank
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 16:01:08 +0000 UTCCharlot Mecklenburg gazed at the battlefield for a while before realizing something—his long time with Menielman Soumet and others had caused him to forget that he could not casually command Clair Bretagne as he did his loyal followers like the Golden Ram Herolf. Clair Bretagne, after all, was not someone easily swayed.
Clair Bretagne was widely recognized as the strongest young knight of Fars after Zimourman Axel Robin. Now elevated to the Saint Rank, he was at the height of his arrogance and self-assurance. Such a person would obey no one, and even an order from Julius Axel might be met with passive resistance.
Born from Hartington Thunder and Storm University, Clair Bretagne trained in both Thunderstorm Sword Technique and the breathing methods of thunder and storm, combining them into a seamless style. Though newly ascended to the Saint Rank, he was far from the weakest among his peers.
His opponent, Andreas, hailed from the Black Phoenix Dynasty and practiced the family’s Phoenix General Breathing Technique. His swordsmanship was elite, producing a resonant sound like a phoenix cry with every strike. Charlot had seen this technique before and knew it was created by manipulating sword energy to trigger sonic waves. The duel between these two was evenly matched, a clash as fiery as the sun.
Both Andreas and Clair Bretagne, along with Ebner Soumet, Menielman Soumet, and Princess May Guillaume, represented the new generation of young talents. In contrast, individuals like Julian Arsilo, Ban Lamorak, and Sophia Gallanord belonged to the "next generation," those yet to fully mature.
Charlot did not fit neatly into these groups. Although over twenty, he was younger than Clair Bretagne and the others. Moreover, his progress came after his transmigration, lacking the early rise to fame enjoyed by these prodigies who had rapidly advanced through the ranks.
Concerned for Clair Bretagne’s safety, Charlot turned to Herolf. “Go support Clair, but make sure not to—” He paused and sighed. “Forget it.”
“Tumisan, you and Herolf be ready. If the Black Phoenix Dynasty sends more than two Saint Ranks, engage them directly. If only one comes...” Charlot made a sharp, decisive gesture. “Take them out together!”
Charlot understood the intricacies of human relationships. Clair Bretagne was locked in battle with Andreas, perhaps fighting for the prestige associated with certain titles. Intervening recklessly would only annoy Clair. However, intercepting any Saint Ranks dispatched by the Black Phoenix Dynasty would be seen as a gesture of goodwill.
With Clair now part of the equation, Charlot had more strategic options. Previously, with only Herolf and Tumisan at his disposal, he struggled to form localized advantages.
Tumisan chuckled softly. “I’m afraid I cannot act directly.”
Charlot was about to ask why but immediately understood. “That was careless of me.”
Tumisan was a Leopardman. Recently, Fars Empire had fought a brutal battle with the Southern Orc Tribes outside Strasbourg, leaving many Orc warriors dead, including several Saint Ranks. A Leopardman fighting for the Fars Empire would raise eyebrows. Though Charlot had recruited Orcs discreetly, doing so openly was another matter entirely.
Charlot’s authority had once been absolute, commanding the West Wind Knight Order with an iron grip. No one dared voice dissent, as those who opposed him tended to “disappear” without a trace. However, with the addition of the Purple Finch Knight Order and the Maple Leaf Knight Order, things were different. Neither Clair Bretagne nor Ebner Soumet ruled their followers as ruthlessly as Charlot.
Despite the challenges, Charlot acknowledged that Clair and Ebner’s newfound strength as Saint Ranks was an invaluable asset. Although it constrained some of his strategies, it was far better than being surrounded and annihilated by the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s forces.
The battle between Clair Bretagne and Andreas was fierce, a contest not only of life and death but also of honor. The wild, roaring thunder and storm clashed against the clear and resonant phoenix cries. Yet, no matter how swift Andreas’ sword energy was, it failed to break through Clair’s relentless thunder and storm.
As Charlot analyzed their fight, pondering ways to break the stalemate, two Saint Ranks from the Black Phoenix Dynasty took to the skies. They, too, feared for Andreas’ safety. One was Monson, the deputy of Viscount Constantine, while the other was Nikolaos, a newly emerged Saint Rank and a close friend of Constantine. Nikolaos was a middle-aged man distinguished by his meticulously groomed mustache, a sharp contrast to Fars Empire’s custom of shaving beards.
At Charlot’s command, his two Saint Ranks ascended to intercept, joined quickly by Ebner Soumet, who leaped into the fray to support Clair. Ebner, Clair’s peer from Hartington Thunder and Storm University, wielded a similar swordsmanship with equal ferocity.
The remaining two Saint Ranks from the Black Phoenix Dynasty could no longer sit idle and joined the battle. After a brief exchange of pleasantries to uphold battlefield etiquette, a chaotic melee erupted.
It was Charlot’s first time witnessing so many Saint Ranks engaged simultaneously. Nine Saint Ranks fought fiercely, their clashes so intense they altered the very color of the sky. Amid this chaos, the true prowess of the Golden Ram Herolf shone through. Once the Pirate King of the Aggras Sea, Herolf wielded his knight’s lance with devastating force, holding back most of the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s Saint Ranks.
Even Tumisan was forced to act. Transforming through Beast God Transformation, he assumed the form of a nondescript middle-aged man. Deprived of his Leopardman combat energy, he still maintained Saint Rank strength—a testament to his mastery of human swordsmanship.
Watching Tumisan, Charlot couldn’t help but marvel. The ability to sustain Saint Rank power while discarding the unique advantages of Leopardmen combat techniques was extraordinary.
As Charlot observed the battle, he sighed softly. Without achieving Saint Rank himself, he remained separated by an insurmountable chasm. The greatest advantage of the Saint Rank lay in their ability to fly and maneuver at high speeds. While weapons like Julian Arsilo’s long-range anti-space rifle could pose a threat to Saint Ranks, their effectiveness was limited by insufficient firepower, exorbitant costs, and the scarcity of skilled marksmen.
For now, the reality remained unchanged: only a Saint Rank could stand against another Saint Rank.
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