Chapter 197: Frontline City

"Your Highness, consider awarding honors to outstanding adventurers—those who performed exceptionally well in the 'live broadcasts.' Award them publicly."

Let fame and titles attract heroes and warlords; let profit and wealth draw in brave fools. All we give are a few humble noble titles that cost us nothing. After all, knightly titles had long been overabundant; granting a few more made no difference.

Li En's suggestion clearly drew from his past-life experience.

They might have thought of these things eventually, or they might have developed them through practice—but that could take years, even decades.

Li En revealed this to Dainya early, hoping she would seize control of the future direction, claim the project for herself, and turn it into her own personal treasury and industry.

As for whether Li En's advice had any effect—

"Huh? What did you do? The threads of fate and causality are dancing again."

The serpent had emerged again; it must have done some good.

With that, his counsel ended. Seeing Dainya lost in thought, Li En smiled.

The girl was actually quite rational; she would seriously consider this possibility, rather than dismissing it as "commoner's nonsense." Though unusual, such arrogance among nobles and royalty was the norm in this world.

In truth, the Princess had always enjoyed strong popularity among the common folk—kind to both peasants and nobles. Her attitude toward Li En was mostly his own doing.

The minor incident passed swiftly. Once they entered the dangerous zone, the temporary team fell naturally silent, ready for battle.

Progress through the rocky corridors grew increasingly difficult; the pervasive darkness made every shadow feel alive with lurking hunters and beasts.

But this time, Li En found few opportunities to strike.

A group of demons appeared. Shield knights raised their shields, spear knights pressed forward through gaps, and the archer knights hadn't even drawn their bows twice before the battlefield was already ready for cleanup.

This was one of the world's primary tactics: the ironclad knight formation—simple, brutal, and extremely efficient.

Yet Li En still drew far too much attention.

"Phantom Step."

The black knight armor was already unusually distinctive, but in this pitch-black battlefield, it proved highly effective.

It didn't provide camouflage, but what a master of night ambush like "Black Dragon" needed was merely a moment's hesitation, a flicker of doubt.

"Die!"

He emerged like a phantom suddenly lunging from shadow, always appearing at the most agonized corner of the enemy ranks.

The Dragon-Serpent Eyes granted him extraordinary power and battlefield instinct, giving him an almost higher-dimensional observer's perspective—each Phantom Step landed precisely on the critical point of the battle!

"Exorcise Evil."

The next instant, a golden-bladed sword tore through the darkness.

To most battlefield spectators, it was only when the golden blade erupted that they spotted the black knight.

With each slash, whether it was a giant lizard with stone-like skin, a towering minotaur, or even a shimmering stone golem, the result was always cleaved in two.

He did not fight like a brute-force holy knight—he resembled more a shadow-dancing assassin.

After completing his assassinations and entering the enemy ranks, he naturally drew a swarm of attackers.

But unlike traditional assassins who fled in panic, he immediately shifted into formation combat, standing his ground and fighting to the death.

"Break the Boundary. Shatter Blade."

The greatsword's natural advantage against multiple-on-one assaults was perfectly demonstrated; its swirling blade technique swept everything nearby—but the true danger lay in the holy power that shattered with each strike.

The simple, brutal Exorcise Evil slash was wielded as if it were the dance of a sword saint.

When the blade fell, the surrounding area was already a mess of chopped or charred flesh.

He was like a heavy tank airdropped into the heart of the enemy ranks—firmly embedded, constantly disrupting their deployment.

With his sharp eyes, Li En specifically prioritized targeting enemy logistics, high-threat spellcasters, and ranged units.

Even the keen-eyed archers of his own side noticed his calm expression—he hadn't broken a sweat, even after completing this entire sequence while clad in heavy armor, still maintaining perfect physical and mental equilibrium.

This meant he hadn't even begun to fight seriously; he could sustain this level of combat for a very long time.

"Incredible—for someone so young. How is this possible?"

"I heard he was once a Grand Knight; he's just regained his strength."

"Looks like his current overall combat power can already match a Grand Knight."

"He's still not third-rank yet, but given this trend, it's only a matter of time."

"Arcane Knight? Impressive."

The knights' gazes toward Li En grew increasingly friendly and respectful.

Previously, most had only heard rumors; now, having witnessed firsthand his formidable swordsmanship and radiant holy power, they confirmed the tales were true.

Knights and warriors were accustomed to settling matters with fists—in a sense, they were the most "realistic."

Whether one was capable or not? A single fight made it crystal clear. Boasting to the heavens meant nothing compared to simply locking wrists.

Thus, they respected and acknowledged strength above all—especially when it came from a "peer."

As for Li En's Phantom Step, they gave it little thought. There were plenty of Arcane Knights who knew second-rank spells; it was, after all, the most suitable auxiliary spell for close-combat knights. Considering Li En's status as a degraded cultivator relearning, his quick recall of a second-rank spell was perfectly normal.

As previously mentioned, the greatest weakness of Arcane Knights was their scarcity and low rank of spells—forcing their bodies to memorize a few low-rank incantations was already their limit.

Hence, they failed to recognize Li En as an anomaly: a hybrid of mage and holy knight.

"Well done, young man." An elder knight clapped Li En on the shoulder as he returned to their lines.

Such recognition from "one of us" was truly priceless.

With the Princess's and Shaliman's approval, combined with his own performance, Li En was gradually integrating into the kingdom's knightly elite circle.

This was no easy feat.

The knights accompanying the Princess were, of course, the elite among elites—some from the city lord's knightly order, even two Radiant Guards; the rest were the kingdom's knights who had arrived on griffins just days ago—truly the core of the core.

These knights were the Princess's future foundation, her emerging loyal inner circle as she began to assert her authority.

They followed her primarily because of the support of the Radiant City Lord and the Queen.

Her concerns were not unfounded—if she truly became the Mirror Maiden's chosen, would these two "powerful figures" still fully back her?

"They don't know—but he does."

For no reason, she felt Li En's swordswipe merging with the towering knight in the Hall of Spirits.

The next moment, she blinked—and the image fused again with the towering figure she had only ever seen in legends.

The way he kept swinging his blade, surrounded on all sides by demons, must have been just like the statue's.

"Your Highness."

The maid's call pulled her attention back.

Before her stretched a vast, enormous "dining hall"—its walls of marble-like rock, with colossal "furniture" serving as buildings.

One stone chair had become the most valuable general store; another, an expensive inn. Two stone gargoyles glowing red guarded the entrance—sleeping inside ensured no passing high-rank thieves would disturb you.

The sudden arrival of so many knights left the local merchants and adventurers stunned—but the knights ignored them entirely, going about their business.

Those who needed to requisition land did so; those who needed to set up camp did so.

Soon enough, these few structures would become royal-owned enterprises.

Li En's focus, however, was on the giant mirror demon bound to the rack—and the square on the other side of its mirror!

That appeared to be the Mage Street, where many robed spellcasters watched curiously from within.

Perhaps the mirror demon's broadcasts had underestimated their reach—many high-rank spellcasters and powerful cultivators who previously had no interest in venturing out might now be drawn into this teleportation space after regularly watching these "adventure clips."

"Clang!"

As a cart slowly passed through the passage, cheers erupted from both above and below ground.

According to plan, if the teleportation failed or proved unstable, knights and laborers would jointly construct a basic frontline base.

At that point, knights would begin their regular rotation duty.

To be honest, it would be miserable—a grueling assignment.

Now, with labor and supplies pouring in continuously, the knights had all become idle.

Thinking they wouldn't have to spend months holed up underground, just rotating shifts by day, their moods improved greatly.

Yet they still remained cautiously vigilant—the area had no so-called safe zones. Its emergence as the largest settlement was likely due to its hard surface, which deterred the most troublesome burrowing demons, offering some peace of mind.

"Get lost!"

Li En also saw a knight kick away a merchant who had come demanding an explanation.

Surrounding merchants glared at them with hostility—they clearly saw their business collapsing.

But when Dainya slowly stepped forward from the crowd, their wary, hostile stares instantly melted into obsequious smiles. Any sane person knew not to offend the royal family within the kingdom, let alone foolishly obstruct matters of state.

"Snap!"

What surprised Li En even more was the arrival of large numbers of Church knights—they too had apparently reached an agreement with the royal family.

"Is this the underground ruin?" The entrance of numerous mages riding floating discs sparked murmurs among the crowd.

A senior lion-eyed mage led the group forward and bowed slightly before the Princess.

"Per our agreement with the royal family, we shall construct a garrison mage tower here. May we begin?"

"Begin," Dainya replied with a smile, even her lips twitching slightly.

"Cousin Felipe, thank you for your support," Li En "saw" her silent response.

It seemed this place would now be truly secure—locked down by a mage tower guarded by a royal relative. Who would dare cause trouble now?

(End of Chapter)