244: Chapter 244 Bloodblade Knight Breakthrough! Earth Knight! Another heist?!

In the center of the square. As the ritual proceeded.

Blood Blade Knight closed his eyes, feeling the powerful energy flowing into his body.

This energy was pure and matchless, perfectly compatible with the Breathing Technique he cultivated, battering against the bottleneck that had stagnated for many years.

Each impact brought tearing pain, yet it was accompanied by an indescribable sense of pleasure.

He could feel that his body was undergoing a crucial transformation.

Suddenly—in his mind, it felt as if a tightly closed door had been violently burst open.

An inexplicable realization struck the depths of his consciousness like lightning.

He understood what an Earth Knight was.

So, for all these years, he had been on the wrong path.

Earth Knight was not merely the accumulation of strength, but the integration of one's own will with the Battle Aspect, transforming it into a world of one's own.

He slowly opened his eyes.

The blood-red giant wolf around him howled at the sky, its voice shaking the surroundings.

Its form began to change—its fur became denser, each strand standing up like a steel needle, emitting a dark red glow.

Then, the giant wolf's body suddenly exploded, turning into countless blood threads that spread in all directions.

Those blood threads intertwined in the air, forming a blood net that shrouded the entire square.

A Domain, it was complete!

The corners of Blood Blade Knight's mouth slowly curled up. He had broken through, Earth Knight!

He stretched out his palm and gently clenched his fingers.

The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and the gravel and dust on the ground were drawn by an invisible force, suspending in mid-air.

This was the power of a Domain. In his Domain, he was the master.

Then, he turned around and looked at Hector, who was standing at the edge of the square.

This former City Guard commander stood on the spot with a complex expression, seemingly recalling something.

Blood Blade Knight grinned, revealing his stark white teeth: "Welcome to the Scarlet Cult!"

Upon hearing this, Hector remained silent for a moment. He glanced at the shriveled corpse on the ground.

That was the lord he had followed for forty years, the person he had once sworn allegiance to.

He glanced at his own blood-stained hands again. Then, he walked forward slowly.

In front of Blood Blade Knight, he knelt on one knee and lowered his head. His voice carried a hint of hoarseness, yet it was exceptionally clear: "I am willing to serve the Lord."

A moment later, Wizard Bjorn and several other leaders who participated in the operation walked over one after another.

Everyone's face wore a smile. Some laughed wantonly and arrogantly. Others laughed gloomily and reservedly.

But without exception, their eyes flashed with the satisfaction of having gained something.

A burly middle-aged man walked up to Blood Blade Knight and grinned: "Boss, we pulled off a big one this time, we probably need to lay low for a while. However—"

He rubbed his hands, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes that didn't match his physique: "Since we're already here, why not pull another job? I heard there's plenty of profit in Gino City too. How about we take it down while we're at it?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of bright red light flickered in Blood Blade Knight's eyes. But he didn't answer immediately; instead, he turned to look at Wizard Bjorn, casting an inquiring glance.

Bjorn pondered for a moment, licked his lips, and then nodded slowly: "Possible. It's on the way."

"I've heard of that Gino City. They have a new Count, and he hasn't been in power for long."

"But he's just a mere Great Knight; such a character won't take much time."

A trace of greed flashed in his eyes: "Besides, Gino City's population is only slightly less than Velen City's. If we can complete another sacrifice, the Lord's favor will surely be even more generous."

Blood Blade Knight laughed upon hearing this. Having just broken through to Earth Knight, finding someone to warm up with wasn't bad.

He turned around and looked towards the northeast. The night wind blew his blood-stained clothes, flapping loudly in the moonlight.

"Then, let's go!"

"Reach Gino City before dawn!"

...

The night wind howled. In the wilderness, two steeds were galloping through the night, heading towards Velen City.

Suddenly, Aurora pulled on the reins and raised her hand to signal: "Rowan, wait, it seems there's a new situation."

Upon hearing this, Rowan immediately reined in his horse. The warhorse snorted and paced a few steps on the spot, then quieted down.

After Aurora came to a stop, she took out a palm-sized instrument from her spatial ring to observe.

A moment later, she looked up: "The ritual fluctuations over at Velen City have stopped."

She looked at the instrument again: "Eh, that's not right... That group seems to be heading in our direction."

"They aren't masking their aura at all."

Upon hearing this, Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, he immediately guessed the other party's intentions.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Then, he dismounted and said: "Then let's find a place here and wait for them. You don't need to make a move; leave everything to me."

Aurora was slightly stunned at the sight. But after sensing Rowan's current aura for a moment, a smile appeared in her eyes as well.

She didn't speak again, just followed Rowan behind a small hill.

She gently waved her hand, and an invisible ripple spread out, completely masking their auras.

The night wind grew stronger. The wild grass on the hill made rustling sounds.

From the darkness in the distance, dense hoofbeats began to sound, coming from afar and getting closer, becoming clearer and clearer.

Rowan chuckled, and the Golden Dark Feather Bow appeared in his palm out of thin air. The bow body was as dark as ink, with patterns flowing with a faint light.

He nocked an arrow, his fingertips gently stroking the fletching. In the darkness. A total of six figures appeared at the end of his vision.

Silently, six arrows were fired in succession! Wind Breath · Eternal Night Pilgrimage!

There was no sound of breaking air, no flight trajectory. Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! ... Six blood flowers bloomed almost simultaneously!

Five of the figures let out a muffled groan and fell off their horses immediately!

But one person did not fall. Although Blood Blade Knight also didn't sense the threat, the Earth Knight's protective blood membrane was passively activated, consuming the power attached to the arrow, which saved him from being taken down in one strike.

He reined in his warhorse, lowered his head to pull out the blood-stained arrowhead, scanned his surroundings, and his face instantly turned livid.

"Who is it!!!" The roar exploded like thunder, rolling and echoing in the wilderness. "Come out!"

Behind the hill. Rowan frowned slightly at the sight. He glanced at the figure standing firm in the distance, and thought to himself: As expected, still a little short.

He could perceive that the opponent was an Earth Knight.

That arrow just now, although it accurately hit the target, the opponent's protective domain directly weakened the power contained in the arrow layer by layer, finally consuming it completely.

He recalled the battle where he killed the 6th-circle Wizard Harrison. The reason he succeeded in one strike that time was because he had the assistance of Garuvi, an Earth Knight, who firmly pinned down the opponent's protective witchcraft, and plus the fact that the opponent was a spellcaster, he was able to seize the flaw and kill him in one blow.

But this time, he was facing a genuine, full-strength Earth Knight. The power of Eternal Night Pilgrimage alone was not enough.

At this moment, Blood Blade Knight had keenly captured the source of the threat. His gaze was sharp, locking firmly onto the small hill where Rowan was hiding.

"Found you!"

"Damn rat!"

"Get out here... and die!"