Chapter 458: A Violent Beating

"Sun Knight!"

"No! He's not a Sun Knight…"

Koste's gaze shifted slightly; on Bo Erqi he sensed a holy power and a heart‑pounding aura mingling together. If the Lionheart Knight's perception weren't sharp enough, he would have almost missed that it was merely a disguise.

Even if it's just a disguise, this extraordinary being bathed in holy light is at least a legendary Mid-stage!

Within the Golden Lion Corps, aside from himself, there are only two other legendary Mid-stage Lionheart Knights, and they are not in the castle at the moment; if he isn't stopped, Linna will be in danger.

The man before him says not to endanger Linna's life, but Ding Laji has been provoked into madness and will show no mercy.

Koste's thoughts turned sharply, and he made a decision.

He ignored Lei En's warning, his soul force erupted, his whole body cloaked in golden radiance, and his speed multiplied several times as he charged out of the living room.

In a single instant, Koste surged to the doorway.

A strand of his perception locked onto Lei En, tracking his movements; suddenly his mind flickered, Lei En's figure vanished, and in the next breath reappeared before him, blocking the door.

In a flash, he turned out to be a Wizard!

Koste's eyelids twitched wildly; the sheer force of the previous strike had led him to assume Lei En was a melee combatant, never expecting a Wizard, yet he showed no sign of retreat and shouted, "Step aside!"

The roar sounded like a lion's roar, shaking the heart.

He swung the exquisitely crafted, gold‑forged longsword in his hand with great force.

With this slash, Koste nearly exhausted all his strength; the Golden Lion bloodline boiled within him, and the blade gathered a tangible sword aura that erupted into a sword qi several meters long—sharp yet heavy—combined with a "Lion Roar" soundwave that assaulted the soul. Under this double strike, no one could withstand it in Kangjiatuo.

However, Koste found that his Lion Roar had failed.

Leaning against the doorway, Lei En's expression was as calm as a lake, his gaze profound; he raised a hand and lightly pointed at Koste, and in a flash of lightning the same sense of temporal distortion resurfaced.

This caused his sword momentum to stall for an instant.

In a clash between legends, a tiny mistake can be fatal.

Koste felt a jolt in his heart; even now he doesn't know what method or spell the opponent employed—shadowy and unseen. Fortunately he isn't a caster, so the sword's power was only slightly weakened after being affected, and the slash still flew out.

Bang!

A faint sound, and a modest Arcane burst exploded before him, filling Koste's vision with white light.

The Lionheart Knight's resistance is extremely high, but this Light Burst Technique came too suddenly, released almost at face level; he instinctively closed his eyes and was briefly blinded.

The shockwave formed by the Light Burst Technique focused in one direction, striking Koste's golden aura wall without causing damage.

But Koste's perception was scrambled.

With a rumbling boom, Koste's full‑force sword sliced the air; he opened his eyes to see the living‑room doorway utterly shattered, a trench over ten meters long gouging the floor. Lei En stood at the edge of the sword scar, smiled at him, and his war hammer descended, aimed at Koste's sword.

Clang!

The war hammer struck the middle of the blade; the epic longsword snapped into two, simultaneously unleashing hundreds of lightning bolts that swept across the entire living room.

Koste's hands trembled violently; the half‑blade slipped from his grasp, the current coursing through his body causing paralysis that delayed his retreat by a beat.

Lei En's war hammer swung upward from below, smashing into his chest.

This hammer produced no lightning, but its force was even more terrifying; Koste's once‑proud golden aura wall proved more fragile than an eggshell, shattering in an instant, and the hammer, like a battering ram, struck his golden armor, causing his chest to cave in immediately.

Bang, Koste was blasted airborne, landing back in the ruined‑like living room.

But he wasn't gravely wounded, nor did he lose his Willpower; the Lion King's Heart Element kept him calm, his heart pounding like war drums, blood boiling, fighting spirit soaring. He forced back the blood flooding his throat, spun mid‑air to steady himself, a new longsword materialized in his hand, and his left hand raised a large shield bearing a lion's head, assuming a defensive stance.

Lionheart Knights are powerful, but they excel at defense.

Koste hadn't faced an opponent who could force him out of a defensive stance in many years, yet as soon as he raised the Lion King shield, a rainbow beam shot out from Lei En's hand.

Amid a high‑pitched whine, the beautiful beam locked onto Koste, striking the shield; pure destructive force eroded the shield's surface, emitting a harsh screech.

When Koste hit the ground, the shield was riddled with holes, nearly pierced through.

He hurled the shield like an iron disc toward Lei En; under the massive power infusion, the shield tore through the air at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, and he surged after it, launching a charge, his golden aura raging wildly, the surrounding walls of the living room trembling on the brink of collapse.

During the charge, Koste inhaled and activated multiple Elements, his armor's enchantments flared, his strength and speed surged, a majestic lion's phantom descended above his head, his skin turning to a golden cast as if indestructible.

The ground shook violently; half the castle heard Koste's footsteps, like a colossal beast sprinting.

Lei En still blocked the doorway.

A flash of blood‑red crossed his eyes, his body swelling to two meters tall, he instantly infused himself with Dragon Power, allowing a flying shield to strike his forehead, scattering sparks.

"Roar!"

Lei En opened his mouth and unleashed a "Dragon Roar"; the soundwave focused ahead, leaving Koste no escape. Even with the Lion King's Heart Willpower as steadfast as iron, the Golden Lion bloodline couldn't match a dragon; his mind was struck, and his charging steps slowed by half a stride.

Lei En swung his hammer, striking Koste's chest without any flourish.

The golden aura wall burst, and Koste was blasted back again; this hammer was heavier, faster, and more forceful than the previous, sending him flying like a cannonball, tearing through three walls in succession.

Puff…

Blood sprayed wildly from Koste's mouth, his chest armor shattered into pieces, and his golden skin cracked. This hammer nearly stripped him of any ability to retaliate.

But this wasn't the end.

A massive claw of thunder and lightning pierced the large hole in the wall, precisely grasping Koste and pulling him back before Lei En.

Another heavy hammer awaited him.

Bang!

Koste was blasted airborne for the third time; before he could land, the electric claw flew in and clenched. With his armor damaged and enchantments broken, his resistance plummeted; once seized by the Electric Claw Technique, his whole body went numb, unable to break free, watching helplessly as he was dragged back and took another hammer blow.

A hammer blast, an electric claw pull.

This cycle repeated three times, Koste's "Golden Lion Force Field" was shattered repeatedly, cracks on his skin multiplied, and although he initially tried to counterattack, after two hammer blows his injuries were severe, leaving him to be battered by Lei En like a sandbag.

With a bang, Lei En delivered another hammer strike to Koste and then ceased.

Koste collapsed onto the ground, his body a horrific sight.

His injuries were so severe that even standing was difficult, yet the Willpower granted by the Lion King's Heart kept him from passing out; he stared intently at Lei En, his gaze bleak, unable to accept his defeat, the pride built over years extinguished by that hammer.

Lei En stood there and said calmly, "I warned you; you'd better stay here."

Koste opened his mouth, but only blood spilled out; he knew clearly that the opponent had held back.

No matter how strong the Lion‑heart Knight's defense is, it cannot withstand a war hammer striking the head; with that force, a single blow would kill him.

At that moment, a group of Lion‑heart Knights rushed from the collapsed opening into the living room.

"Leader!"

They saw Koste's grim state on the ground, were horrified into silence, cast angry gazes at Lei En, and raised their weapons to charge.

Lei En lifted his war hammer, triggering the attached chain lightning.

Crackle— the current burst.

These Lion‑heart Knights were not yet Legendary, and their armor resistance was far inferior to Koste's; facing the Four‑Ring spell they had almost no resistance. Lightning bolts leapt among the Lion‑heart Knights, linking together, and each successive jump grew more terrifying.

After three chain‑lightning releases, only four or five Lion‑heart Knights remained standing.

They stubbornly surged forward.

Lei En lifted his foot, the ground trembled, and a fan‑shaped "Shock Wave" was unleashed. With his power, even an ordinary Element at only Level 3, when striking the Lion‑heart Knights, was no less than a beast's charge; they were hurled into the wall, their armor shattered, bodies bleeding, and fell silent.

He knocked down a batch of Lion‑heart Knights, but it did not frighten those behind.

More Lion‑heart Knights surged from the opening, daringly launching a charge.

"All stop!"

Koste shouted hoarsely, "Stop right now, all retreat." He struggled to sit up, spitting blood as he gave the order. Lei En's power was too great; even he was no match, and the Lion‑heart Knights charging in were merely courting death.

Each Lion‑heart Knight was cultivated by the family with countless wealth and effort, and could not die here pointlessly.

"Leader…" the Lion‑heart Knights wore faces of sorrow and anger.

"I said, all retreat." Koste staggered to his feet, shouting, "If you still consider me the leader, you must obey my command. All out, now, immediately!"

"Yes, leader." The Lion‑heart Knights reluctantly left the living room.

Lei En sheathed his war hammer and said, "A wise move."

"You are the one who defeated Duke: Feishe at Riverflow Fortress?"

Koste had already guessed Lei En's background; the events of Baroske City had spread throughout Kangjiatuo, including the battle outside Riverflow Fortress that day, where Duke: Feishe was defeated by a Weizelan councilor's hand, though outsiders did not know that person's name.

The Duns Principality lies on the kingdom's western border; unlike Feishe Principality, it rarely has mercenaries docking at its ports, so external information is scarce, one could even call it closed.

Koste had previously heard legends of the Empire and Fu Kong Cheng, but knew little.

Lei En nodded, "Allow me a formal introduction: Ryan Augustus, Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng Councilor, Earl of Glamorgan, Empire Senator."

"So it's you!"

Koste coughed, wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand, and was suddenly enlightened.

He had heard of this Empire hero's name, but actually seeing and fighting him was unbelievable, because Lei En was far too young.

He considered himself Kangjiatuo's most outstanding transcendent in the past hundred years, promoted to Legendary before thirty, entered Legendary High-rank at seventy, though only at Level 16, still far from Saint Rank, and could not claim to be unrivaled, yet there were few rivals in the kingdom—only King: Maruke and Duke: Blanden among the few who could match him.

But the one before him was said to be just over twenty!

In the earlier fight he took the blows the whole time, while the opponent clearly did not exert full force; this gap in strength deeply shocked Koste, and his years of pride vanished.

What he hated most was that Lei En's appearance was even more handsome than his own.

Koste felt an inexplicable jealousy.

From outside the living room came the sounds of fierce battle, interwoven with Ding Laji's God's Curse and Linna's painful screams, as well as the Lion‑heart Knights' wails.

Koste instinctively tried to go out, but as soon as he moved, searing pain surged through his body, making him gasp a cold breath. Those few hammer blows shattered an unknown number of his bones and grievously damaged his organs—proof that the Lion‑heart Knights' physique and Willpower are so strong that other transcedents would already have fallen unconscious.

"If you don't want to die, stand still and don't move."

Lei En was measured in his strike, saying, "Bolchi will not let that woman be killed, but the others might, so you'd better order them to stop."

Koste, frantic, shouted at the Lion‑heart Knights guarding the opening in the living‑room wall, "Go quickly, have everyone retreat, and don't strike."

He was very worried about Linna's safety, but the Lion‑heart Knights valued the family more.

All of this was caused by Linna's mouth.

Koste deeply regretted that he had never been able to resolve the conflict between Linna and Ding Laji since childhood; the tension grew worse, and when Ding Laji was expelled years ago, the main reason was his father, though Linna had covertly fanned the flames; the siblings' hatred could not be settled, and he bore the greatest responsibility.

"My father and I should never have indulged her back then."

Koste was both remorseful and angry, yet Lei En's stare kept him from acting rashly.

Fortunately, the outside battle subsided in under a minute, and Bolchi returned to the living room carrying the barely‑alive woman. The light‑forged holy armor on his body bore several scratches, likely from Lion‑heart Knights, yet they caused no injury.

Ding Laji followed in, still in Demon‑possessed state, his snarling face still angry, but his mind had regained reason.

He saw Koste's dire condition, was instantly shocked, and hurriedly dispelled the Demon possession.

"Koste, what's wrong with your wounds?" Ding Laji fumbled, pulling out healing potion and scroll to treat Koste.

At that moment, a robust elderly Lion‑heart Knight charged in, seeing the gravely wounded Koste and Linna, his dignified face darkened, glaring at the short Ding Laji, and said gravely, "You disaster‑star still dare to return!"

(End of Chapter)