The First Magic World War

The Asiluo Clan's Twelve Angelic Chapters of Swordsmanship once dominated the Old Continent.

Before the emergence of the Robin Family, the Asiluo Clan was considered the premier family of swordsmen on the Old Continent.

Even though the Robin Family had produced more than ten exceptional swordsmen and the likes of Saroses Robin who assisted Emperor Axel in founding the Fars Empire, and Zimmerman Axel Robin, a legend in his own right, the Asiluo Clan never fell behind, also boasting several swordsmen who could match their caliber.

The Twelve Angelic Chapters is a sword technique that can be infinitely mastered, yet, even among the Asiluo vampiric kin, few could grasp the sixth chapter before the age of fifty, and nearly all who did eventually became Sword Saints.

Of course, the longevity of the Blood Clan played a part in this.

Charles never felt that continuously grasping new sword moves was anything special; he always thought it was quite normal.

But this...

Was absolutely not normal.

Unlike Charles, Cyrus had already become a knight before attending Tubingen University, and he had been practicing the Flesh Furnace and the Golden Requiem for over a decade longer than Charles had been exposed to Bloody Glory. Despite having daily guidance from a Sacred Order, he still couldn't leave Charles behind during their duel in the Dreamscape.

Charles felt that Cyrus was very strong, incredibly powerful.

Cyrus felt that Charles was terrifying, truly damn terrifying, like a monster.

Now, it was Zolman's turn to feel this terror.

Before dueling with Charles, Zolman thought that a mere Lower-Ranked Supernatural would perish within five moves, but after engaging, he felt that ten moves might be more realistic.

However, after fifty exchanges, Zolman understood why Cyrus couldn't defeat Charles, why Charles could execute Jonathan and garner such an impressive reputation—the man was a once-in-a-lifetime genius in swordsmanship.

Though arrogant in his mastery of the Five Great Knights' Proofs and skilled in the art of the gunlance, no matter how ferocious his attack, Charles's exquisite swordplay dissolved it effortlessly.

Just as Zolman was pressing Charles into a disadvantage, he was shocked to discover that Charles's swordsmanship had suddenly advanced a level, and the Stellar Battle Qi he wielded now contained a dissolving power. Stay tuned with empire

Zolman couldn't help but yell out, "Have you stared an Evil God in the face?"

"How is it possible to improve your swordsmanship during battle?"

Just as Charles was feeling somewhat smug about his breakthrough, his "biggest secret" was exposed, immediately arousing a killing intent within him as he thought, "I can't let him live."

"Even if it means revealing the secret move I was saving for Cyrus."

"People finding out about Charles Mecklen's past will at most make it impossible for me to date Anne, but if they know I've summoned an Evil God, I could be condemned to death."

Zolman had no idea that his words had not only sealed his prophecy but also his own fate.

As Charles's sword light tangled with Zolman's Knight's Spear, Zolman was delighted, his Fighting Spirit far more robust than Charles's Bloody Glory. In such a direct confrontation, he could kill Charles within minutes by continuously channeling his Flame Fighting Spirit into the battle.

Meanwhile, Charles, while desperately holding on, activated the Flame Hand.

A hand composed purely of Blood Flame quietly pulled an Anti-Space Sniper Rifle from the collar of his clothes, while another Flame Hand adeptly loaded a Magic-Breaking Bombshell Bullet. With Charles's body as a cover, both Flame Hands cooperatively extended the rifle barrel from beneath him and rapidly squeezed the trigger.

Zolman had no idea that Charles possessed such a unique skill.

The lower half of the man hit by the bullet was instantly pulverized.

With a sweep of his sword, Charles pierced the High-Level Transcendent's throat.

Charles hesitated briefly, deciding against devouring the Transcendent's life force. He was planning to attempt forming a Blood Core soon and needed to maintain the purity of the Bloody Glory.

Lord Leo had said that the earlier one formed a Blood Core, the longer their lifespan would be. Although starting at the early Intermediate rank was somewhat premature, it was generally better to do it sooner than later.

Besides, Charles had some concerns about his public image, devouring life force was something he could do covertly, but doing it in the presence of tens of thousands made it difficult.

Flicking the blood off his Blood Rose, Charles picked up Zolman's Knight's Spear and said indifferently, "There are some secrets the living should not know. Rest in peace."

All of a sudden, thunderous cheers erupted from atop the fortress of Mostar.

Lady Southseraph fell silent for a moment, then cried out as she charged onto the battlefield.

The Westwind Knights also didn't hesitate and began their assault.

What had started as merely a duel exploded into a war the moment Charles killed Zolman.

Charles hadn't anticipated such a turn of events; he was still too green, and had underestimated the brutality of war.

However, he did not hesitate for long and immediately threw himself into the fray, wielding both the Blood Rose and the freshly taken Knight's Spear. With his superior swordsmanship, he moved through the chaotic army as if no one else was there, spearing and slashing, and promptly killed sixteen or seventeen men.

After engaging in the battle, the first person Charles looked for was Cyrus, but he couldn't find his old adversary no matter how hard he looked, prompting him to call out to Dobin, who had rushed onto the battlefield, "Have you seen Cyrus?"

Dobin shook his head. Remembering that just earlier, Belisa's maid had come asking for help, thinking someone might take the opportunity to attack Mostar Fortress, he called out, "The Duchess's maid came earlier to request assistance; someone might exploit the situation to launch a sneak attack on Mostar. Anatasiya has already taken people over."

Charles was shocked. He looked toward the ramparts of Mostar Fortress and saw crowds of onlookers. Even though he was no military strategist, he knew that with Mostar now undefended, it was the perfect opportunity to attack.

Cyrus was definitely a competent commander; since he was absent from the battlefield, he must have gone to sneak attack Mostar.

Charles was unaware of the internal affairs within the Restoration Army, but he guessed that Cyrus, having bypassed Zolman to duel him, must have opted for something more urgent.

What could be more urgent than taking Mostar Fortress?

Charles cursed, "Damn it! Caught in Cyrus's trap. He wasn't out for a duel; he used it as a ruse to draw the people of Mostar out to watch, then seized the chance to launch a sneak attack."

Charles also couldn't understand how Cyrus could weave such an intricate plan, each step so finely crafted?

Of course, he didn't know that Cyrus hadn't planned it that way at all; he was forced to concede the duel, but when he saw the people on the ramparts, he had decided on the spot to raid, which was far simpler than Charles imagined.

But in any case, things had already reached the worst scenario.

As Charles was fiercely battling with the Restoration Army troops remaining under the city, there was no way he could kindly spare forces to help defend Mostar Fortress. He quickly concluded that the best course of action was to take advantage of Cyrus's absence at the sneak attack on Mostar and crush the current Restoration Army ahead of him.

If he could defeat the South Serif Army before Cyrus conquered Mostar Fortress, there might still be a chance to turn things around.