Chapter 567: A Duel between Men
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
An elderly man with white hair and beard was walking slowly from the other side of the horizon beneath the starry night. His white hair was brighter even than the moonlight. As his hair blew in the wind, it gave one a strange feeling. In the softness, was power and loneliness.
Long ago, there were two top level powers in the Maho Empire and Shansa Empire. They traveled around the world, holding it in disdain. They had been described as the "lions". The lion of the Shansa Empire was the Gold Knight, Shureberger. The lion of the Maho Empire was the Master Swordsman, Phillip.
It's been said that time and tide wait for no man. The Gold Knight, Shureberger, had aged over the years. Although he was still a lion, he was a toothless and clawless lion. In order to protect Edward VIII, he had died in the hands of Saul. Shureberger and Phillip were about the same age, and they had achieved their fames about the same time. However, what was Phillip now left with?
Phillip could see Anfey in the distance. As they moved closer to each other, Phillip started to feel distressed. He knew that the odds were against him in this battle with Anfey. However, he had no other choice. He had waited too long for this day.
"Your Excellency, you are indeed a man of your word." Anfey smiled. However, his eyes were not as friendly. There was no bad blood between Anfey and Phillip, but there was also no mercy in politics. Anfey had now advanced to another stage.
Anfey was not surprised that Phillip had not brought anyone with him. He had no one to turn to in this place. Wester was preoccupied with his own problems, and given Phillip's arrogant character, he would not put down his dignity to ask Baery or Saul for help. Whether he was a good man, that was beside the point. At the very least, Phillip had upheld his dignity to the extent of giving up his own life.
"Where is Suzanna?" Phillip asked coldly.
"This is a duel between men. I do not want others to be involved, including her." Anfey was sizing Phillip up, and finally, he rested his gaze on Phillip's hand. Veins and age spots were all over it. This showed that Phillip had been going downhill for a long time.
"You are very bold. Are you not afraid that I will tell Baery that you have asked me here?" Phillip pointed out and said, "How are you going to answer to him?"
"Your Excellency, you should know that I mean well," Anfey flatly replied. "I am still young. My power and understanding of the rules and regulations of the world have been improving constantly. But, what about you? You are different. The longer you wait, the weaker you become. This is unfair to you. Am I right?" Anfey sounded hypocritical. He was not trying to be fair to Phillip, but he had to deal with him in view of the future.
When the top level powers joined forces against Minos the following year, Phillip would be excluded from them, as his power had weakened. On the other hand, when the top level powers gathered at Greenwich Island, he would be at rock bottom. Should he lose control of himself then, he would pose a great threat to Christian! Anfey had thus decided to get rid of this latent danger this instant.
Phillip did not reply to Anfey, but instead just held his sword.
"In fact, I do not need to be here. Time will do the job for me. I can wait, and I can afford to wait." Anfey laughed and said, "But, …you are a warrior. A warrior should die in the battlefield and not lie on the bed and battle with sickness. I am trying to help you. Are you not happy?"
"So, should I thank you?" Phillip sneered and said, "Should I also thank you for killing my grandson?"
"Of course." Anfey nodded and said, "Are you not aware what kind of person Zeda was? The princes are now having severe conflicts. Even if he is still alive, he would be stupid enough to be used by them!"
"Bullshit!" Phillip had a fiery temper and was immediately enraged. He drew out his long sword, and as the white-hot Combat Power exploded, a sword ray shot out and slashed toward Anfey's chest.
Anfey had his arms folded in front of his chest. He slanted his body and took one step to the side, to avoid the sword ray. He smiled flatly and said, "Have we officially started?"
"I shall kill you!" Phillip shouted. He jumped up and pounced toward Anfey. He realized that this was a wrong move. He was no longer young. By releasing the sword ray, he would deplete his energy and Combat Power more quickly.
Anfey lifted up his right hand, and a huge battle-ax appeared in it. He swung the battle-ax to counter the attack from Phillip. As the battle-ax and sword hit against each other, there was a loud clash. The Combat Power dispersed all over the place. Anfey remained in his spot, but Phillip had moved seven to eight steps backward.
"If this were to happen three months ago, I would have only made you move three to four steps backward." Anfey said flatly, "This is our difference. I am the rising sun, whereas you will soon be going down the horizon." In terms of strength, Anfey had the upper-hand. He did not have to trample on Phillip's confidence, but this was his habit. One could attack the opponent not only with weapons.
"Back off!" Phillip looked ferocious. Once again, he pounced toward Anfey. The fact that he had met Anfey alone was enough to prove that he was truly a lion. In the natural world of the lions, they would often come across wandering lions. However, even if they were no match for their opponents, they would not back off. They would fight to the end for their rights. Phillip was such a lion. However, he was not doing it for power, but for his dignity.
The shining blade let out a sharp whistling sound, as Phillip attacked with full force. His body was encompassed by the Combat Power, and his face could no longer be seen clearly. The only thing that stood out was his white hair. The recognizable trait of Ernest's swordsmanship was its destructive power. Although the trait of the swordsmanship between the two were similar, Ernest's was more profound. Phillip's was massive, and he displayed a fearless might.
Phillip rained down sword strikes, but Anfey remained unscathed. He moved around, as though he was taking a stroll. The element was in turbulence and did not take its form, which meant that Anfey had not exerted full force.
The battlefield created by Anfey and Phillip was surging within the radius of a thousand meters. The sand and stones that were hurtling about had been crushed by Phillip's sword ray. To an onlooker, Anfey seemed to be at the losing end, but only the two of them knew the actual situation.
After a long while, Anfey suddenly shouted in a low voice. He lifted up the battle-ax and swung it against Phillip's long sword. It was a weird feeling. It was as if a wild dog that had been barking crazily had been choked in the throat. The torrential attacks suddenly stopped. Phillip stepped backward more than 10 steps before he could stabilize himself.
"In fact…I have my reservation." Anfey said with a smile, "But until now, no one has come to stop this duel. This tells us that they have accepted the fact. Do you understand what this means? His Majesty has given up on you."
Phillip's beard flew up, and he shot toward Anfey like an arrow. He did not hear what Anfey was saying. He only wanted Anfey dead.
Anfey looked emotionless as usual. He turned around to avoid the attack, swinging the battle-ax hard on Phillip's neck.
Phillip's wrist quivered. He pointed his long sword at Anfey and gave it his all. When Anfey's battle-ax landed on his neck, his sword would have stabbed into Anfey's chest at the same time.
Phillip was giving it his all, but not for Anfey. He withdrew his battle-ax and disappeared before Phillip's eyes. In another instant, he appeared behind Phillip. They were only one foot apart. Anfey did not look back. As Anfey withdrew the battle-ax, the blade hit Phillip's lower back.
Phillip had used up most of his energy and Combat Power during the earlier combat, so his reaction was a bit slow. Moreover, Anfey had struck at the perfect time. Just as Phillip was about to react, the blade of the battle-ax had destroyed his Protection Combat Power and stabbed into his lower back.
Phillip let out a cry. He suddenly turned around and thrust the long sword at Anfey's upper back. Although the blade of the battle-ax was sharp, it was not as sharp as the sword. Since Phillip had the Protection Combat Power, the blade had stabbed in only slightly more than an inch. However, when Phillip turned forcefully around, the blade cut across his lower back, causing a blood groove. Fresh blood spewed out like a fountain. Phillip had gone insane. He could not be bothered with his own injury. Even if he were to die, he was determined to take Anfey along with him.
Anfey did not turn around. He wielded his battle-ax and hacked into the air. As Phillip's long sword was about to pierce into his back, Anfey disappeared once again, then re-appeared behind Phillip. He hacked down hard on the back of Phillip's head with the battle-ax.
Anfey had not only moved at the perfect time, but his movements were also swift and compact. He had also grasped hold of the timing of Phillip's movements. From the time since he had decided to kill Phillip to when he ended the unfair battle, it was within such a brief period!
Although Anfey's stroke did not seem to be as powerful as Phillip's, or as swift as Suzanna's, what he did possess was a skill that could definitely kill a person!
Phillip leaned on the battle-ax to balance himself. Fresh blood spewed out from his back and colored his white hair red. His armor turned red as well. As he tried to turn to take one last look at Anfey, his body fell down to the ground uncontrollably.
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