Way of the Knights

---

"Huh…" Mark grunted on the side, "Done releasing your pent up stress?" His remark made Paul and Ellen feel a little embarrassment. 

"You know it." Nevertheless, Paul agreed with his words.

"But still, this shield is impressive." Anne commented. "Something you learned from training?"

"Nope." Paul shook his head. "It was something that the big turtle made me learn. For now it's only three layers, but It could receive a full-powered attack from a Silver Knight before breaking. Since it has three layers, it could defend three times and so long as I'm standing, it will remain to everyone."

He scratched his head in bitterness as he continued: "The only downside is that, I could only do it once a day. Well, at least for now."

"How are you faring in Energy Reserves?" Mark asked while his mouth was twitching.

"Eh?" Paul inspected for a bit and said: "I'm still good, that barely cost anything to me."

Speechless. That's the best word to describe their reaction. Isn't this skill a little to strong? Let's see, a triple layered shield that could defend against a full powered strike of a Silver Knight three times. Barely cost him any energy even after giving to at least tens of thousands of people. And won't disappear as long as he's conscious. 

Isn't a tad bit ridiculous? Yeah, he could only cast that once a day but that's hardly detriment! And he said: 'Well, at least for now.' That means that in the future it will get even more ridiculous? action

"And you?" Anne faced Ellen, asking: "You must be the reason why those beasts aren't flying."

"Y-yeah…" Ellen replied, a little embarrassed. "Effects of the big and red angry bird. Any of those things that has wings won't dare to fly within my presence. W-well, it only affects my enemies."

"You guys are just…" Mark could only smile wryly.

Balmung and Luis reacted similarly. And here they were hoping that their one year of training reaped some good results, well the children delivered and they even went beyond their expectations.

"W-well! I'm sorry if I'm not as impressive as this Big Oaf right here."

"What do you mean!?" Paul exclaimed, "You are awesome! Those pesky things in the skies are the one's who's doing the most damage to our soldiers. Now that they can't fly, they might as well be considered as dead!"

Paul pointed out towards the beast horde and continued: "Look! Some of them are being stomped to death by the bigger ones! Don't sell yourself short."

Paul's words were correct. Nearly a quarter of the flying beasts were ruthlessly stomped by the marching beasts while the remaining are cowering in fear. 

Hearing his straightforward praises, Ellen's cheeks blushed but she tried faking it and say: "Hmph! At least you know what's good for you!"

"Alright. Let's go down. It's time to show the concrete results of our training." Luna smiled and jumped down from the walls. As soon as she descended, she transformed into a flash of light towards the incoming horde.

Seeing her eagerness, the rest smiled and went on their way as well.

Paul threw his spear and jumped along with it. A pair of red wings appeared behind Ellen's back as she descended. 

Mark's hair rose up as lightning covered his body once more. Unlike earlier, he didn't use the orange lightning but instead the regular white one. He then threw one of his sword, it arched beautifully and pierced a mantis threatening one of the soldiers. Mark's silhouette blurred and disappeared from the top of the walls.

He reappeared like a lightning bolt where his sword landed. It was as if he teleported. With another swipe of his sword, he beheaded the mantis and threw his other sword at another beast.

Mark seemingly turned into a lightning phantom. No one knows how he was doing it but he would just disappear and reappear at random moments. It was like he was a dancing lightning bolt at the battlefield. In just one minute, he decapitated at least sixty beasts and he still wasn't done. There are no traces of fatigue nor stress in his face as he was doing this. 

Eventually, he came across to where his father and his clan mates were. 

Leon couldn't help but to watch in pride as he saw his son dancing like a white reaper in the battlefield. The style of him flourishing his swords and vanishing like ghost made a distinct imprint to those who witnessed it. Some even started pitying the beasts he killed since they literally had no idea how they died. 

At the very front of the battlefield. Old Lee saw this and couldn't help but exclaim. He smiled and said: "Good lad! Pretty soon, I'll have a rival with my speed. He might even surpass-nay, he will certainly surpass me."

Flew forward and met up with her father. Gil smiled as he patted his daughter's head. No words were needed. Anne's jade green eyes sparkled as she stepped forward.

Next, a wing-like shape emerged from her wrist. It crystalized into being and transformed into a pristine bow filled with colorful gem ornaments. 

Gil was gobsmacked. He nearly called out 'Mom!' Due to how Anne really took upon the image of Matriarch Victoria. Gil heard a sniff behind him and saw a clan elder bawling his eyes out, he asked him what's wrong and this was the answer he got.

"It's like seeing Matriarch in the flesh once again. Young Lady Anne looks just like her, just as gallant and beautiful." After saying this, he broke into whimpers. Gil couldn't blame him, even he himself nearly mistaken his own daughter as his mother. Matriarch Victoria's reputation just have this effect.

Anne didn't hear any of this. Her focus was set on the incoming horde. A bowstring manifested, Anne's delicate fingers pulled it as far as she could. Her body curved backwards as she aim. Everyone nearby the walls felt a fearsome fluctuation condensing at the tip of her bow.

"Feather fall." Anne whispered as she released the shot.

Her arrow flew like a shooting star. Once it reached the peak of it's arc, it transform into an enormous green feather. Then, the threads of the feather turned onto flashes of lights and homed into the skulls of beasts accurately. What's even more astonishing is that, no one from the humans side were injured by her attack. The arrows/threads will automatically evade any humans and will instead curve towards the beasts.

Everyone gaped at the spectacle. They all turned their heads towards the one who released the shot. 

"Lady Anne!"

"A beautiful display, Lady Anne!"

"Impressive!"

"That's our Young Lady Anne!"

Members of the Western Star Clan who were present in the battlefield rose their chest up high and rained down fervent compliments to the young lady. Gil couldn't even keep himself from smiling ear to ear. Pride filled his chest as he witnessed the prowess of his daughter.

"Hoo…" Anne exhaled, she then looked at Mark and saw him slithering like a lightning serpent in the battlefield. An idea crossed her mind as she yelled: "Hey, Mark!"

"What's up?" Mark replied after decapitating another beast. 

"Follow up!" Anne yelled as she arched her body once more. In front of her, five jade spears materialized and shot towards the skies. 

"Got you!" Mark could already sense what she wanted to happen. Mark threw his sword in the air and shifted to it. He then floated mid-air as a fearsome Red Lightning covered his body. He looked at the spear arrows and calculated for a bit. He raised his hand and five equally long Red Lightning Spear materialized. 

As he brought his hand down, the lightning flew and merged with the arrows. The arrows then flew with an even more frightening speed as they slithered erratically in the air. Everyone watched as the arrows landed into the hulking beasts at the back. Anne and Mark's voice could be heard afterwards.

"Explode/Strike!"

*Boom!* *Crackle!*

The arrows exploded upon contact, if that wasn't enough to kill them, then the follow up Red Lightning Strike would definitely take them down. 

"Holy shit!" Paul exclaimed, "Those five beasts were at least Silver Knight in strength!"

"Psh. Show-offs." Ellen snorted but there was a visible smile in her face.

"M-my god! Who are these kids?"

"No idea! But are they really just Knights? How come they're so strong?"

"Knights? Don't be fooled brother. They're not in the Knight Stage."

"Heavens!"

"So formidable!"

"Better not provoke those two. I wouldn't want to be in the receiving end of that."

Back at the walls, Anne gave Mark a thumbs-up as she readied another strike. The people behind her were numbed, they started wondering just how much energy these kids have. 

Balmung and Luis' mouth's agape. The Prince couldn't help but to comment: "This became their stage, isn't it?"

Luis nodded mechanically, even he felt the threat behind that. That combined attack was too fast and explosive that he had no was of surviving that.

"Come to think of it, these are the monsters that your son fostered, didn't he?"

"…"