Chapter 311: Chapter 48: You Know Full Well How Much You Powered Up

Before Gale Heart, Westheid’s charge and challenge had all but swept away the resistance outside the colossal city.

After issuing his challenge, Westheid did not advance further into Gale Heart. Under the Celestial God Law, he wouldn’t be able to use his full strength; entering the Capital would just be asking for trouble.

Westheid had no desire to ride a two-kilometer-long elevator or push a door that couldn’t be opened from his side.

So, while awaiting a response, he turned back and rejoined the battle behind him, treating it as a way to kill time.

BOOM—

Westheid met the frontal thrust of a Riding God Giant Statue head-on. The lance, like a pillar from the heavens, came crashing down. A phantom-blue spiral erupted in a brilliant flash, showcasing the purest Power of Numbers born from a Divine Structure.

Yet, this pure power was crushed before an even more violent one. Westheid caught the lance, hundreds of times his size, with his bare hands, his knees only buckling slightly.

Then, Shadow-Born struck. Crimson fissures snaked along the lance, reaching straight to the core of the giant statue’s frame. With that, the Demigod-level Divine Structure fractured and fell apart, crashing to the ground with a grinding screech.

The sheer absurdity of the sight shattered the morale of all who witnessed it. In their experience, no one had ever been able to withstand a direct attack from a Riding God Giant Statue.

"A... a Monster! Even a Riding God Giant Statue can’t stop him?"

"Just how strong is he?"

The Divine Structures, which had once been invincible on the battlefield, rampaging at will, now seemed pathetically weak.

Many of the Yonglan Knights who witnessed this felt their opposition to him weakening. ’If a Knight is truly this powerful,’ they thought, ’perhaps being led by him wouldn’t be so bad after all?’

SWOOSH—

Just as Westheid was recovering from his attack, a cold gleam of light flashed from within Gale Heart. In an instant, it crossed the vast distance, aimed straight for his head.

But obviously, such a sneak attack could not succeed. Westheid reached out and caught the massive black iron arrow, which was wreathed in a faint silver halo. However, crimson beads of blood dripped from his palm.

His defense was broken.

Although it had only scraped the skin, for the Westheid of today, this was an incredible feat.

Westheid glanced at the arrow and nodded thoughtfully.

"Steel Will... So you’ve finally come."

Duke Qinghui turned to look at Gale Heart. A group was emerging from the towering city, crossing the great bridge at a steady, unhurried pace.

"Hah... I’m getting old," one of them, an old man in an archaic Knight Commander’s robe, sighed. He held a spear in one hand and a bow in the other; the arrow had clearly been his handiwork. "Even after receiving the Divine Ancestor’s grace and blessing, my most concentrated shot failed to find its mark."

"We meet again, Duke Qinghui." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

At the head of the Steel Will Guardians was, surprisingly, the one who appeared youngest: Mephit.

The tips of her sky-blue hair curled at her shoulders. The Knightess’s lovely face was slightly flushed as she gave a charming, elegant smile, waving cheerfully to Westheid.

But her indigo eyes burned with an incomparable fanaticism, as if about to burst into actual flame.

Her snow-white, form-fitting, cinched knightly regalia perfectly accentuated her tall, sensual figure. A bright silver belt, embossed with a motif of silver wings and a longsword, was wrapped snugly around her slender, supple waist.

She wasn’t even wearing Armor. Mephit didn’t look like she was heading to a battlefield at all. Instead, she resembled one of the Imperial court’s dilettante noblewomen, dressed in a dashing military uniform for a countryside excursion.

Westheid, however, did not underestimate her in the slightest. His eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze swept over the group. He spoke.

"It seems you’ve all received the blessing. Good. This way, it’ll be a challenge. Otherwise, it would be far too boring."

The blessed blood of the Riding God could strengthen a Yonglan Knight to an unbelievable degree in a short time, perhaps even to a realm beyond that of a Legend.

In short, their power levels would be massively inflated. Westheid could no longer crush them without thinking; this would require some actual skill on his part.

"Oh? You’re aware of that? While it’s not a complete secret, no one outside of Gale Heart should know about it. Let me see... it seems you’ve known the rules of the Steel Will Guardians from the very beginning."

Mephit gently stroked the corner of her lip with a slender, pale finger and tilted her head.

"But to know that we have been blessed by the Divine Ancestor and still resolutely embark on a pilgrimage to claim the throne... that seems a bit reckless, don’t you think?"

"If I were to abandon my ambition simply because of a few difficulties, what right would such a coward have to claim the throne?"

Westheid wasn’t particularly concerned. The strengthening effect of the Riding God’s blessed blood might be limitless, but the human body’s ability to withstand it was not. Even with an infinite treasure at their disposal, there was a cap on how much they could improve.

At worst, it would turn a complete rout into a battle of equals. ’But being equal in power alone isn’t enough,’ he thought.

’After all, my Soul Burning Technique, my Cursed Source Blood, my Withered Glory Sun, my Dragon Soul Furnace... none of them will lose!’

"Hahahahaha! Yes! That’s it, that’s exactly how it should be!"

Upon hearing his words, Mephit burst into a manic laugh, sweeping her hair back from her forehead.

"That magnanimity and pride! Now *that* is befitting of a king... But that alone is not enough to earn our recognition! Duke Qinghui, let us fight! Let us kill! And then, you must defeat us!"

"If you can!!"

"Don’t be in such a hurry," Westheid said calmly, looking at Mephit, who could barely contain her battle lust. "Because I am in more of a hurry than you."

Then, Duke Qinghui turned to face his own Legendary combatants who had just arrived.

One as a Thundercloud Incarnation, the other a Rushing Wolf, Reiya and Mivana, who had been far off just moments ago, arrived at Westheid’s side in a matter of seconds.