Defying the Fate of Beheading-Chapter 587 - 317: Beatrice Meets Saint Grace, Duel with the Sword Master_2

Beatrice curiously asked, "Oh? Not afraid of me now?"

Grace sighed, "No, I rarely meet high-ranking nobles. Saying I'm not afraid is a lie."

Beatrice replied, "Then why don't you lower your head now?"

Grace earnestly said, "If I were here as an ordinary woman, I would be afraid. After all, the gap in status is too large, and I'd be scared of saying something wrong."

"And now?" Beatrice leisurely asked, "Why have you changed your mind now?"

Grace pursed her lips and said, "But I appear here as a candidate saint of the church and a subject of His Highness. Mumbling would be disrespectful to those who support me."

Beatrice paused for a moment, then laughed loudly, "Hahaha, interesting, now you truly show some saintly demeanor."

"I'm not worthy."

Beatrice remarked, "When Louis sought me out, he was a worthy candidate for support because he rarely asks me for help. Now it seems, our investment was quite successful."

"I'm glad to satisfy you all," Grace said with a gentle smile.

Indeed.

Though she was most grateful to Mr. Caesar, she wouldn't forget that the help of Beatrice allowed her to smoothly complete her initial courses at Saint Louis Academy.

She quietly glanced at Mr. Caesar, who sat silently beside His Highness.

Sometimes she asked herself whether her admiration and yearning for Mr. Caesar had faded.

The answer was no.

A saving hand extended before drowning could be remembered for a lifetime.

But she knew well that Mr. Caesar had his own life and his own beloved, who had also helped her before.

Her longing wouldn't cease, but it didn't mean she should move closer to Mr. Caesar.

That wouldn't benefit anyone.

Maintaining the status quo and watching from afar would suffice.

That's the last thing she could do for her benefactors.

Beatrice carefully examined Grace's expression and softly sighed at last.

Her reckless fiancé was indeed quite popular with girls.

But she wouldn't let go, Louis was hers; no matter who came, even if her father did, she'd fight back.

Yet, she recognized Grace's admiration was merely admiration, without ambition.

Sympathizing with her plight, but she wouldn't compromise; it was Beatrice's pride at stake.

Seeing the atmosphere turn like this, Louis felt a bit overwhelmed. He hadn't expected the situation to change so suddenly.

He initially thought that for the Fallen Star Sea expedition, he must rally the church's action through Grace, revealing part of his cards to future allies was a suitable choice.

But he hadn't considered the matter regarding matters of romantic affection.

His heart was small, and having Beatrice was already almost enough.

Right now, due to the pitfall of the little swan, he almost choked unknowingly, already quite overwhelmed, and didn't intend for it to turn towards love affairs.

Originally thinking he hadn't contacted Grace for a while, her additional thoughts should have dissipated.

However, he had forgotten that the unattainable ideal always reflects on others' hearts.

He rubbed his forehead in frustration.

At the same time, he heard cheers from the opposite side of the arena, his eyes brightened, and he turned to the few people saying:

"The Sword Master has entered the arena; I must do what needs to be done."

Today, only 20 people came to watch this duel.

Beatrice's side included Beatrice, Olivia, Alice, Grace.

Additionally, Qian and Lumi as close guards, and a demigod secretly protecting.

Excluding the guards, Beatrice's side represented the royal family, the sword of the royal family, and the pro-royal church forces.

On the other side, 13 people—all heads of the Bloodline Thirteen Families.

They could almost represent the strongest people in the empire.

On the field, Louis and the Sword Master exhibited an atmosphere like a raging storm, evidently entering combat mode immediately.

"Your Highness, having a duel with you wasn't easy. Look how long this has been prepared for," the Sword Master gently said.

Louis showed no smile, "I'm curious about how formidable the Sword Master's blade is. I've heard its reputation long enough, let's test it personally, see skills between our edges."

He wouldn't assume the Sword Master to be weak just because he had many cards.

Some methods were exceptionally strong, owing to his efforts, but also to his equipment and added support.

He wouldn't simply presume this was his true ability, thereby underestimating the Sword Master, who relied on sheer strength to carve out a legacy.

"My blade is neither lineage nor doctrine; mostly learned through trial and error, piecing moves together," the Sword Master showed a bloody smile, "just call it the Celestial Blade."

"A Celestial Blade indeed, quite a domineering name."

"Inexperienced, my ancestors ascended to the Saint Realm, but I've surpassed them now."

"Impressive."

With a few sentences, both completed their pre-battle communication. Louis smiled warmly and said:

"I hope I can give you a satisfying challenge."

The Sword Master paused momentarily, feeling Louis's aura entirely change.

Earlier his aura was like the constant flow of a mighty river.

But now, it resembled a tsunami dancing across the ocean.

The Sword Master frowned but relaxed shortly, "Seems I can't hold back in this fight."

"No worries, let loose and fight," Louis shook his head, "You use all your skills; with so many demigods present, any issue won't be an issue."

The Sword Master's eyes flickered momentarily and laughed, "Then I'll gladly accept."

His expression turned solemn, his eyes slightly narrowing, with an aura roaring like a sea dragon.

No matter how Louis's tide rose, he maneuvered like a dragon in the midst of a torrential downpour.

Suddenly, he chuckled, his long blade transformed into an immense brilliance, with the sword energy erupting almost as if it planned to rend the sky.

Celestial Blade Domain · Boundless Sword Light.

At that moment, Louis drew his sword.

Invisible Gang Calamity · Star-piercing Sword.

As if tip to tip, the red sword shadow was blocked twenty centimeters outside his sword's body by the bursting Star-piercing Sword, making a jarring sound echo across the field.

Sword and blade battling, becoming shimmering afterimages.

The 13 patriarchs watching frowned; someone instinctively wanted to call a stop but was halted by Patriarch Jean:

"Watch calmly; this feast of techniques can also help us."

Right now, the Sword Master's face turned steadier, even... serene?

Though it was probing at the start, both directly used real techniques, disregarding the result; at this moment, he finally saw long-awaited martial determination to fight on Louis's aggravating face.

"Good, just as it should be; be careful next."

Facing a challenging opponent, how not to fight?

He elongated his final words, integrating them with the blade's sound. His long blade was already back in its sheath, followed quickly by another slash; the sharp sword light faster and stronger, cutting straight down.

A circle of translucent Gang Qi expanded outward, gathering unmatched sword brilliance within.

The world seemed to freeze at this moment, even time slowed.

On stage, the patriarchs' faces subtly changed; someone spoke in a low voice, "The main course has appeared."

Under the influence of Louis's deep water territory, the surrounding air crazily twisted, even the sword image appears visible to the eye, only to see a sword light breaking through, boom, colliding with the sword light to explode into sky-high sparks.

The rampaging Gang Qi shredded the battleground protected by magic and hard minerals into pieces.

Beatrice looked towards the shadowed figure and asked, "Uncle Nas, how do you feel?"

In the shadows, the demigod pondered long, replying quietly, "Give him more time; you won't have to shoulder this much burden."

That was undoubtedly a high evaluation.

But Beatrice felt it wasn't enough, "I'd hoped for an even higher evaluation."

Nas paused in silence, replied briefly, "My assessment is based solely on their current range of abilities."

Hinting that if Louis showed more, his evaluation would also rise accordingly.

Nas simply raised his head, looked at the opposite thirteen patriarchs, and communicated across, "Gentlemen, activate your domain around the perimeter; even the highest-level training ground cannot withstand them damaging it."

Indeed.

The training ground's protection capacity had limits.

At both their level, this training ground was barely tougher than ordinary sites outside.

To prevent trouble, activating domains to suppress Saint Realm skills was necessary.