A Knight's power

Arriving at the camp, the installation was quick.

Since the enemies hadn't yet arrived, the soldiers were free to do what they wanted. Some had to do some missions, such as securing the supply lines or watching for enemies, but most spent their time on other things, such as organized tournaments. Not only could one be spotted by the powerful, but it was also a form of training, entertainment, and gambling.

''Give me an overview of the situation.'' The in chief general of the zone asked. He had just arrived from Moir.

''Yes!'' The lieutenant-general replied vigorously, ''At our disposal are a little over 100,000 men divided into 60,000 guards, 40,000 veterans including 10,000 high-level veterans, as well as 536 knights, 103 grand knights, 51 master knights, and 17 grandmaster knights. All the weapons have already arrived and we got no problems with our supply lines."

A certain respect could be heard in her voice. Although the person in front of her was a failed Paladin, he was one of the best generals in the army serving under Pepin. His ingenuity had allowed him to develop new strategies and to modify some of the weapons that had earned him great prestige. He also didn't lack fighting power as he could rival a grandmaster knight.

''We have little information on the enemies, but according to their movements, there shouldn't be more than 70,000 demons.''

''I see...'' He said without much emotion. ''And on the spot? How are our men?''

''The morale seems pretty high especially since betting was allowed. There isn't any great friction, and not much alcohol has been found until now.''

He continued to ask questions, then went to see it for himself.

The contract between a Knight and his squire was a divine contract, which could only be made by a branch of the 'protectors' who specialized in divine energy and runes: the contractors.

The contract thus created an energy link between the two, which made it possible to locate a person or increase their learning speed. This is why Alain knew that Jean was heading towards them. In a short time, he arrived.

''Hey!'' Jean greeted him. "The general has decided to separate the various armies into blocks to create small and efficient teams. So I'll have to test you.''

He put down both his sword and shield. ''You may all come at once.'' The group didn't hide its joy. From the moment they leave Nirl, their progress had diminished despite the repeated stops along the way especially made for them to train.

They didn't think he would come in person to 'test' them. It was more of a training than anything, and if they had to choose between energy and understanding, the choice would be easy. Techniques were heavily emphasized by the empire, and with sufficient mastery, the empire would provide them with pure energy.

Emilie directly began the fight by launching multiple beams of sacred energy at her allies, slightly increasing their streng th.This action didn't just surprise Jean, who had no idea that a guard with foundation-level cultivation could invoke such a powerful spell, but also Alain. For once, she hadn't chanted the unnecessary sacred words.

Immediately afterward, the group surrounded him - which he let happen quietly, knowing he had the upper hand.

Each attack, even when grouped, was countered with ease. He dodged every sword blow, not hesitating to throw his opponents off balance so that they could not all attack him at once. As for the energy, he parried it using the same amount of energy. No, even less. Compared to the vast expanses of energy, a thin layer was enough for him to disorient the energy.

''Careful,'' he said with a smile. By continuously dodging, he had also moved closer to Emilie and he now charged towards her. Two figures appeared directly in front of him: Alain and Eloise, which stopped him directly. A moment later his back was blocked by Lucas and Ema. ''A good synergy but -''

He charged towards Eloise and Alain. Alain attacked him directly with his sword on his right flank while Eloise repositioned herself on his left, throwing daggers while waiting for the key moment to attack him with her sword.

"You are facing a Knight.''

As Alain's blade and Eloise's knives were about to hit their target, a screen of impure energy surrounded Jean who returned the blows. Seeing Alain off-balance, he pushed him to the ground before sprinting forward.

Eloise took the opportunity to attack him, predicting his route. But in an instant, he stopped, then bent down to dodge the blow. Eloise then dropped her weapon and attacked him. Jean parried one of the two blows with his free hand, and with a quick movement made the two attacks intertwine.

Despite his calm demeanor, a trace of sweat appeared on his face as he saw Emilie before him, protected by three kids between 9 and 15 years old.

'What is he doing here?' Rodolphe was only supposed to watch the war, but he let it go as he didn't mind it. 'Even in this situation, it should be fine.' All he had to do was dodge their attacks.

The three children hurriedly produced a cloud of impure energy blocking the passage. 'Too inexperienced. Though to have so much energy at such a young age is remarkable.'

He dodged to his right as Emily positioned herself. But how could she escape his speed? He charged towards her to relieve the pressure on him. The thirteen-year-old girl (Corinne) and the fifteen-year-old boy (Adrien) took the opportunity to attack him, but he easily blocked their blows, shielding his hands with pure energy under the impure energy.

Dodging wouldn't have allowed him to catch Emily quickly enough, and he didn't want to give time to Eloise and the other to defend her. With a blow to her stomach, he threw Emily to the ground as he looked around to decide on his next actions.

'Nobody.' He was a little over 3 meters away from everyone, which made him completely safe.The next moment his face turned cold while fear took him. He didn't know why, but he seemed to have become a prey as if he was close to death.