Upon hearing this, Alphonse immediately guessed what it was, and promptly stood up.

"How about a sword duel between samurai?"

"I'm happy to oblige!"

"At the same time, I also hope that you can fight with the true form of the Holy Sword, and so do I."

"Then, where is your sword?"

As Alphonse uttered these words, he heard Finchley whistle loudly, as if it were a unique command to summon birds.

Just seconds later, a raptor, like a crimson comet, flew through the wide-open gates of the training ground and came into everyone's view.

Alphonse looked closely and realized it was a fully grown starling. It perched on its master Finchley's right shoulder, its plumage a fiery red, its wings sharp as swords when it flapped, its gaze as piercing as its master's, and it cried out loudly from time to time.

He was surprised again: "Your holy sword prototype is actually a living thing!"

-

Outside the palace, on the lawn used for large-scale military training, a central area is surrounded by an intact wall.

Alphonse faced Finchley in another duel. But this time was different; it was a proper knightly contest, and even their weapons came from the same legend, both being swords.

The heir to the Ice Sword raised the golden dagger.

The air suddenly turned frigid. Then, specks of azure light emanated from Alphonse's body and gathered above the short sword he held, creating a vortex.

Its sharpness, weight, and thickness can no longer be judged by conventional standards; it is a weapon constructed from translucent magical particles.

The magical blade that formed resembled the aurora borealis, seamlessly connecting to the original short blade of the dagger.

Its translucent azure blue hue subtly reflects the iridescent colors of the light, making it dazzling and eye-catching.

The Holy Sword in its complete form was presented to the Fierce Eagle Clan for the first time.

On Finchley's side, the Crimson Starling transformed into dazzling red particles of light and intense heat, its bird form dissipating into the air.

However, the light particles did not disappear. Instead, they continued to move around Finchley's right shoulder until they formed a fiery red right shoulder guard, right arm armor, and a sword—a longsword whose entire body was imbued with the most essential element of fire.

"It's a holy sword that's presented along with the armor..." Elfons exclaimed in amazement.

From the moment the Extreme Flame Holy Sword was awakened, he deeply felt the scorching heat rushing towards him.

The soldiers watching retreated several meters away due to the constantly changing temperature between freezing and scorching.

At this moment, Finchley, who was holding the Flame Sword, had completely transformed into a different person—a far cry from his usual lazy self, now radiating a formidable magical power of fire.

At the same time, he also possesses the oppressive and majestic qualities of a dragon.

Judging from the attributes of "fire" and "dragon", Finchley's magical aura is extraordinary and exceptionally powerful.

Alphonse began to change his opinion of the Falcon. He hadn't expected that there were so many hidden talents among them. Finchley was not only the inheritor of the Holy Sword, but also a warrior of outstanding strength.

As for the others, although their pasts are still unclear, it is certain that most of them are by no means ordinary people.

Rumors circulated that the Fierce Eagle Knights were a motley crew, but Alphonse felt that this was simply a matter of people's ignorance of the Fierce Eagles, or perhaps a rumor spread by someone with ulterior motives.

The Flame Sword—and the Flame Armguard—raised up a soul-like cloud of fire, illuminating the spot where Finchley stood as if it were bathed in sunlight.

"Alphonse, if you don't make a move soon, I'm going to attack!"

As he spoke, Finchley raised his Flame Sword, sparks flying from the armor on his right arm, and charged forward, intending to seize the first advantage.

Responding to Finchley's fierce attack was a cyan sword light, like a flash of aurora borealis, interwoven with flames and tearing through the night sky. The two clashed, neither yielding to the other.

Magic surged. The two warriors, wielding magic, clashed, setting aside their nascent friendship, their so-called guild ranks, and the honors of their respective factions, their hearts yearning only for a pure, unrestricted duel.

When they separated, both sides moved swiftly, constantly changing their positions and directions to prevent the other from having any opportunity to take advantage.

During the clash, countless sparks, a mixture of red and blue, sprayed everywhere.

The Eagles cheered loudly for them. Not only for Finchley, but also for Alphonse.

The sky, its colors shifting with the passage of time, witnessed the duel between two warriors. From beginning to climax, and finally to a conclusion where no victor emerged.

In the middle of the night, the two exhausted men collapsed on the bruised and battered ground.

Although the outcome is still undecided, the fight is incredibly exciting.

Even more pitiful than these two people was the land that had witnessed the fierce battle between the two warriors.

The two transformed the open-air training ground into a roofless ruin, the weeds turned to ashes, and traces of swords, magic, and martial arts were everywhere.

That's right—once tomorrow is over, this place will no longer be called the "Flaming Eagle" Palace, and will no longer exist as the base of the Flaming Eagle Knights.

"I accept my defeat wholeheartedly," Finchley said, as the flaming sword in his hand transformed back into a rudimentary starling, its feathers dulling considerably due to the depletion of magic power.

It flew towards the gradually brightening sky.

"Enough said, the battle is not over yet! We'll have another match when we return..."

“I have used the power of the emblem ‘Flaming Dragon’s Reverse Scale’.” Finchley removed the light armor and linen arm guards from his right hand.

This is a frontal dragon head mark engraved on the arm, predominantly dark red, surrounded by dancing flame patterns.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!