Chapter 84: Powerful Strength
Chapter 84: Powerful Strength
"Everyone, we definitely have a chance this time. This is just a tribe of minotaurs that lost a tribal war. Even though their numbers have been restored, the minotaurs produced by secret techniques are no match for real minotaurs. With the combined strength of our three houses, we can naturally hold them off."
"And don't forget, participating in wars against the orcs can earn us military merits and elevate our ranks. Compared to a kingdom war or an orc war, this is much simpler. If we abandon our lands this time, how will we face the kingdom war or the next orc war?"
"Unless the three of you intend to give up your noble status and return to being wandering knights."
Thor's voice wasn't loud, but hearing his words left the three barons speechless.
The orc war was unpredictable, but the kingdom war was different. It erupted every hundred years, determining the size and strength of each kingdom. It was something no noble could avoid.
They might walk away this time, but they couldn't escape the kingdom war.
Participation in the kingdom war was mandatory for nobles.
Nobles who lacked the strength to participate would have their titles stripped away.
This meant they would lose the baron titles they had worked so hard to obtain.
It was a situation they could hardly tolerate.
"Lord Thor, if we can withstand this disaster, I, Pape Lawrence, will fully obey your commands," Pape Lawrence said earnestly.
"Lord Thor, my Valmy territory will do the same!"
"Lord Thor!"
Baron Valmy and Baron Graton also stood up and spoke solemnly.
"Barons, your words are too kind!"
"However, we indeed need to work together to deal with this!"
"How about this: Can the three of you gather all your knights?"
Seeing their expressions, Thor couldn't help but smile. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly spoke.
"This..."
Upon hearing Thor's words, the three hesitated.
But only for a moment.
Pape Lawrence still nodded and agreed.
"Very well, Lord Thor, I will go back and gather all my knights!"
With these words, Pape Lawrence made up his mind.
Even though there was a risk, he had no other choice at this moment.
And if Thor had any ill intentions, he could have acted during the previous war.
There was no need to wait until now.
Seeing Pape Lawrence agree, the other two exchanged glances and also nodded in agreement.
Having held out until now, they were naturally unwilling to give up. Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, they wanted to fight for it.
With their agreement, further discussions became much easier.
The four of them then discussed some additional matters before the three barons quickly took their leave.
After watching them depart, Thor began making his final preparations.
These final preparations, of course, did not involve contacting other pioneer lords. Compared to the three barons, the other lords had limited strength, and Thor had no doubt that most of the other pioneer lords in Maine Valley had likely already fled. Who knew how many were left?
There wasn't enough time.
Instead, it was better for him to assess his own strength and Anna's.
The existence of the symbiotic contract had caused both of their strengths to undergo a transformation.
Just as Anna had changed, so had he.
At this moment, he was eager to know the extent of his current power and whether he could contend with a grand knight.
As the three barons took action, Thor sought out Steve and Peros.
One of them would test Anna's strength, while the other would naturally test his.
On the training grounds, the two stood facing each other.
"My lord, this..."
Peros hesitated, feeling both nervous and uncertain.
He hadn't expected the lord to suddenly challenge him to a duel, testing his strength.
Although shocked by the lord's rapid advancement to an official knight, Peros was a grand knight, and he couldn't help but worry about facing off against his lord.
"Don't worry!"
"It's just a test."
Thor smiled as he spoke, showing no signs of concern.
Though he was only at the peak of an official knight, the augmentation from the ice element life energy made him feel that he was beyond a regular knight.
"Very well!"
"My lord, be careful!"
Peros took a deep breath and finally nodded.
Then, his life energy surged as he attacked Thor.
Thor's eyes glowed with an icy aura, and the life energy within him began to stir. A faint white mist even appeared on his knight's sword. The next moment, he moved, charging at Peros.
"Boom!"
The two swords collided in mid-air.
A powerful burst of life energy followed.
Peros' grand knight life energy was undeniably overwhelming, almost instantly overpowering Thor's life energy.
Thor's body couldn't help but retreat.
However, the cold aura spread from Thor's sword, freezing over Peros' sword and even starting to encroach upon his life energy.
"What is this?"
Peros' expression changed, and he quickly retreated.
But the cold continued to spread, layers of ice forming on his body.
Even his breath quickly froze.
His body became stiff.
"Not good!"
Peros' expression shifted.
His long battle experience instantly alerted him to the danger.
However, as soon as the thought crossed his mind...
"Watch out!"
Thor's voice rang out with a light laugh. In the next moment, he appeared above, bringing his sword down once more.
The cold spread.
Life energy surged.
Peros tried to dodge.
But it was too late. He could only raise his sword to block once more.
"Boom!"
The swords clashed again.
Life energy collided once more.
But this time, the result was even more extreme.
The cold on Thor's sword instantly turned into ice, spreading from Peros' sword to his body.
"Clang!"
The knight's sword fell to the ground.
Peros staggered back.
But a stream of cold landed on his shoulder.
"You've lost!"
Thor's light laugh rang out, a hint of joy in his expression.
"My lord, you..."
Feeling the cold against his neck, Peros wore a bitter smile, mixed with shock.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
But just then...
"Boom!"
A terrifying blast of cold erupted in the distance.
In the next moment, layers of ice rapidly spread out, and in the blink of an eye, the area hundreds of meters ahead was completely covered in a dense white mist.