The outco of the battle was obvious.
The remaining ships of the duchy dared not open fire — they feared the retaliation that would surely follow.
All they could do was wait, trembling, to see what Leon would do next.
The air itself was tense to the breaking point; it felt as though the sky had frozen, silently gazing down upon the ruins of the duchy's once-proud fleet.
Then, to everyone's astonishnt, soone shot forward toward Leon — a figure clad entirely in black armor.
It was the Dark Knight — Vandel.
His legendary form glimred in the sunlight, and in his hand he gripped his famous sword, its blade etched with glowing magical runes.
He flew straight toward Leon's ship — the very vessel known as the Partner.
Under any other circumstances, such a sight would have set the soldiers' hearts ablaze.
They would have cheered, shouting in admiration of their hero's courage, and, inspired by his example, charged into battle behind him.
But this ti was different.
After Leon and his fleet had obliterated the duchy's mightiest armada in re minutes, the soldiers looked upon Vandel not as a hero — but as a madman.
A man willingly flying into his own death.
> "Is he out of his mind?!" soone shouted from one of the ships.
"Stop him — now!" another cried.
Yet no one moved.
They could only watch as Vandel hovered in midair before Leon's ship, turned to face it, and spoke in a loud, steady voice — one ant to be heard even from the neighboring vessels:
> "My na is Vandel Hym Zenden, the Dark Knight of the Duchy of Fanos.
All who live and die beneath the duchy's banner know my na.
I wish to know the na of the one who stands before —
the one who commands such powerful ships,
and who, within re minutes, destroyed a fleet once deed invincible!"
He spoke with dignity; there was no fear, no hatred in his tone — only unwavering resolve.
Leon stood upon the deck of the Partner, staring calmly toward Vandel.
Beside him was Duchess Gertrude.
Her eyes were lowered.
Only a short while ago, she had radiated confidence and grandeur — but now…
Now she looked lost.
Everything she had worked toward — all the plans, all the careful preparation — had crumbled to dust in re monts.
Her perfect strategy, once so brilliant, had shattered like a glass castle under the weight of reality.
Inside her swirled a storm of despair, anger, and confusion.
But when she heard Vandel's voice, she raised her head.
In her eyes flickered a spark — curiosity.
What was he planning to do?
Leon, hearing the knight's declaration, narrowed his eyes and replied loudly so his words carried through the air:
> "And why do you want to know my na, old man?
Want to take revenge after learning who I am and where I'm from?
Even if you find out — it won't do you any good.
You still won't be able to do anything to ."
Vandel chuckled beneath his armor.
> "You're right," he said evenly.
"As long as you have these ships, I can't stand against you.
But who are you without them?
That's why I want your na.
And after that… I challenge you."
He paused for a mont — and then declared:
> "A duel.
A battle of armor."
A wave of murmurs rippled across the duchy's ships.
n whispered to one another, unable to believe what they were hearing.
Leon only smirked, folding his arms across his chest.
> "And why should I agree to that?" he asked lazily.
> "Because I believe in my own strength," Vandel replied.
"If I win, you will leave the duchy imdiately, return our duchess, and spare us — at least for a few days.
But if I lose — the entire island will surrender with .
We will lay down our arms without resistance.
Everyone here will beco your prisoners.
No exceptions."
A heavy silence followed.
Leon put on a thoughtful expression, as though he were seriously considering the offer.
In truth, his mind was already racing:
> He probably thinks I'm helpless without my ships. Not surprising. He must think I'm just so reckless kid.
A smirk slowly spread across Leon's face.
He turned toward Gertrude, still bound, removed the gag from her mouth, and tossed it aside.
Then he faced Vandel once more and spoke loudly and clearly:
> "My na is Leon Bartfort —
Viscount of the Kingdom of Holfort… and hero of its army.
I accept your challenge, Vandel Hym Zenden."
At those words, Garrett — along with those who had recently spoken to Leon, or rather, to Captain Jack Sparrow — suddenly rembered sothing.
They recalled how, not long ago, the "Captain" had been lavishly praising Leon — in truth, praising himself — with the most exaggerated and pompous complints imaginable.
> Is he a narcissist or what…?
That sa thought flashed through everyone's mind almost simultaneously.
But there was no ti to dwell on it.
Without warning, sothing fell onto the Partner's deck with a heavy tallic thud.
All eyes turned instantly toward the impact site — and Vandel, focusing his gaze, realized what it was.
An armor.
Massive. Heavy.
By the look of it, an ancient artifact — a relic forged in forgotten tis.
On its back was a large tallic pack, and its helt bore a device resembling a gas mask, giving its wearer the grim, faceless visage of a silent warrior.
There were other curious details too, but Vandel had no ti to study them.
A thought flashed through his mind — that what stood before him wasn't rely armor, but a lost relic.
Yet there was no ti for reflection.
Leon stepped forward without hesitation and confidently climbed into the armor.
tal plates closed around him with a grinding noise, a chanical hum echoed through the air, and monts later the jet engines roared to life.
A violent gust swept across the deck, scattering dust and fragnts into the wind.
The onlookers' eyes widened as Leon soared upward —
the armor, despite its imnse size, moved with astonishing speed and agility.
Within seconds, he was hovering directly before Vandel.
Two knights now faced each other in the sky —
one in pitch-black armor, the other clad in a strange, ancient artifact.
Only about twenty-five ters separated them.
Neither moved.
They simply stared at one another in silence, waiting for the first move to be made.
From author:
Hope yall like changes in plot thx to sumr break i can say all this is happening.
Reviews
All reviews (0)