Charles had waited a whole day, and Lady Southseraph did not launch an attack. He waited another day, and still, Lady Southseraph made no moves. On the third day, Charles could no longer bear it and asked Mama Karen to relay a ssage to Cyrus.
Cyrus agreed to the eting imdiately.
Charles angrily accused, "How could you not keep your promise? I even shared the great secret about South Serif with you."
Cyrus simply smiled and replied, "Since it's a secret, let's keep it a secret forever."
"Jonathan raised from a child, and I only recognize one Jonathan."
Only then did Charles realize he had outsmarted himself. The bond between Cyrus and Jonathan was too deep; he had no desire for a "real Jonathan." Moreover, he did not know that Cyrus had already decided that no matter how elaborately Charles hoped he would stage an assault with a hundred-n, he would never fall for it.
Charles's behavior further convinced Cyrus that he must be plotting sothing significant.
Charles, utterly dejected, was about to tell Mama Karen to call off the eting when he heard Cyrus say casually, "If you are willing to duel with ten tis, I'll lead an assault once."
Charles could not help but curse under his breath, "Damned native."
Charles had used Mandarin, which Cyrus did not understand, but that did not matter. He imdiately raised the stakes: "Twenty duels, and I'll assault once."
Charles said indignantly, "Do you think I'm a fool? You just want to kill twenty tis and have no real intention of assaulting."
Cyrus raised three fingers and said, "By the Blood God Timothy above, I have promised the commander of Silver Pigeon Fort to duel him twenty tis before sending a hundred warriors to assault. If I break my oath, may I never be able to avenge Jonathan."
Charles took a deep breath. Timothy was the ancestor of the Ebulrahan Clan and the Evil God who created the first vampire's Knight Breathing Technique known as Flesh Furnace. His Knight's Spear Technique, Golden Requiem, had once resounded across the continent. Even within the human factions, so admired this Blood Clan knight.
Since Cyrus was practicing the Flesh Furnace and Golden Requiem, although he was human, swearing an oath to Timothy, the founder of the Ebulrahan Clan, it was bound to be fulfilled. Such an oath was very heavy and almost impossible to break.
Charles hesitated for a mont then said, "I accept your terms."
He did not forget to say to Mama Karen, "I'm troubling you again, Mama."
Mama Karen smiled and said, "I do enjoy watching the young ones lively dueling in the Dreamscape."
"It's much better than dueling in the real world. No one dies, and it's not as cruel."
Charles thought to himself, "That's true, since no one dies, dueling a few tis doesn't matter."
Cyrus held the Black Knight's Lance towards the sky and shouted, "Fight, coward!"
Charles snorted coldly, and Blood Rose struck first, taking advantage of his speed to attack.
The first ti the two clashed in reality, Charles was at a disadvantage after rely seven or eight moves.
Once Charles had mastered the third movent, Eternal Dawn, they could spar for more than ten moves.
Later on, he made continuous breakthroughs, mastering the Wings of the Hatchling Dragon. That ti, he had driven Cyrus back and carried Jonathan away with one spear. They did not clash again after that.
The second ti they dueled in the Dreamscape, Charles only managed to block thirty moves before he was finally checkmated and "killed" by Cyrus with a spear.
This ti, Charles was shocked to discover that Cyrus's strength had improved drastically within just a few days. From the beginning, he was at a disadvantage, and within twenty moves, he was again "killed" by the spear.
About ten minutes later, Charles reappeared in the Dreamscape, facing Cyrus, who was full of battle intent and a fierce killing aura, and a hint of fear began to form in him.
However, rembering that he would not die, he once again urged the Blood Rose to attack aggressively.
This ti his defeat was even more miserable; he didn't last twenty moves before Cyrus swept his legs away with one spear and ended his life with another.
At this mont, Cyrus fully displayed the grandeur of a High Order Knight, surpassing even Harriet Alva.
Charles appeared in the Dreamscape again, forcing himself to calm down, no longer recklessly attacking, and began to parry and dismantle Cyrus's moves.
But this ti, Cyrus's spear technique also changed, with each spear faster than the last. After twelve thrusts, his montum peaked and he blew apart Charles's head with one spear thrust.
The fourth battle, the fifth battle, the sixth battle…
Charles's condition fluctuated, but his battle record was on a downward slide, even failing to last ten moves during the tenth dream duel.
When Charles appeared before Cyrus for the eleventh ti, Cyrus, with spear in hand, said, "This ti, you won't withstand even one of my thrusts."
Charles held the Blood Rose vertically in front of him and said softly, "Yes, this ti, it should only be one move."
He leaped high, his frustration from consecutive failures unleashing his boundless potential. Blood Rose turned into streaming flas, no longer thinking of parrying and dismantling, only attack, defense, and guard!
Charles resorted to a mutually destructive move, the Fifth Movent — Dragons' Fire Breath!
Blood Rose and the Black Knight's Lance interlocked in the void, clashing thirty-seven tis. Charles was picked off by Cyrus's spear and died again in the Dreamscape, but Cyrus was also struck by Charles with a thrusting sword through his left eye just before his death.
Just as Cyrus said, Charles could not withstand even one move this ti.
But in a desperate counterattack by Charles, Cyrus ended in mutual destruction.
This was also the first ti in the duel that Charles had managed to wound Cyrus, and directly counter-killed this formidable foe.
Mama Karen, in the Dreamscape, had created a comfortable chair and a quaint little round table, adorned with exquisite snacks and afternoon tea, enjoying both the duel between two talented young n and the scenery, in utmost contentnt.
This strike by Charles was nearly desperate; from the beginning, he had not planned to survive, he tricked Cyrus with one move, and all his furious assaults were to manipulate the Blood Fla Qi and launch Blood Rose.
This fight was too calculative, but the next ti, with Cyrus on guard, it wouldn't work.
Even so, Mama Karen still held Charles in higher regard, able to constantly reflect during the battle and adapt to his enemy, proving that this young man was not one to reject change or be bound by convention.
"A fine young man."
"Though his past has so dark spots, acknowledging mistakes and sincerely loving Anne, and with a promising future, the old lady is willing to do a little sothing for the two kids."
"Not sure if it's Anne's good judgnt, or eting Anne was his destiny, that made this young man desperately change."
Charles and Cyrus, this ti, appeared together in the Dreamscape.
Charles picked up his confidence again.
A trace of seriousness tinted Cyrus's face, but he still believed that the victory in the twelfth duel belonged to him.
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