Chapter 430 Is all this just a bluff?
Facing the pressure from various guild leaders, Garen remained indifferent.
The Emerald Lion Guild was founded by his father, who has long passed away. With a heritage of nearly four thousand years, could it really be destroyed in his hands?
He had deeply realized William's strength.
With just a light wave of the phoenix feather fan, William had shattered his sword domain.
Such a person, even if Garen trained for thousands more years, would likely still be beyond his reach.
However, William hadn't killed him,he only disabled all his abilities. And there was also that sword thrust William had executed as he was leaving...
While the other leaders offered their insincere courtesies, they were already discussing how to divide everything of the Emerald Lion Guild.
"Garen, I've heard that your father left behind the legendary Excalibur, which you have never been able to draw. Now that you've lost your power, and others might covet it, why not let me safeguard it for you?" Aurelius hinted, eyeing the Emerald Lion Guild's treasure, the Excalibur.
Another person added, "I've heard that you possess a Starlight Ruby that can enhance one's ability to absorb energy. Unfortunately, you probably can't even absorb the surrounding energy now. Why not hand it over to me? I'll use it to increase my strength and help you rebuild your guild."
Garen laughed and stood up, discarding his broken giant sword.
Two thousand years ago, due to his exceptional talent, his father taught him swordsmanship. At the age of twenty, he became a mid-level Soulmancer. With a giant sword, he was unrivaled among his peers, basking in unmatched glory.
At a hundred, he reached the Demi-God level, shocking the entire Soulmancer community.
Fighting many Quasi-Deity level warriors with his Demi-God strength, he never faltered, earning the title of a legendary warrior.
These people before him, once his closest friends, especially Aurelius, his comrade from the same era, had shared a deep bond.
But now that he had lost all his power and fallen from grace, these so-called friends only thought about how to seize his guild and treasures.
As past memories flitted by, only William's sword thrust remained vivid in his mind.
Garen's smile gradually faded, his eyes revealing profound indifference.
To everyone around, Garen appeared like a dying beast, like a hermit about to depart.
"Sword, come!" Garen called out loudly, and a streak of light flew from the former treasury of the Emerald Lion Guild.
In an instant, Garen held an unsheathed Excalibur in his hand.
The surrounding guild leaders were stunned.
"Damn it, wasn't it said that he lost all his power? How does he seem even stronger now?"
"Excalibur!" Garen's hand trembled slightly as he drew the sword from its sheath.
Despite the rust on the blade, a gentle breeze seemed to stir around him, fluttering his clothes, his eyes sweeping coldly over those present.
All the guild leaders watched Garen intently, wondering if this was his final performance.
Garen had been severely injured just moments ago, having lost all his strength.
How could he possibly become stronger?
Aurelius chuckled nervously, "Garen, what do you mean by this?"
Garen responded coldly, "You wanted Excalibur, didn't you? Now it's in my hands. If you want it, come and take it!"
Aurelius laughed, "Garen, why do this? I meant no harm. Don't misunderstand."
From Garen, he sensed no energy fluctuations, not even a hint of his strength level.
It was clear that Garen was still in a state of lost power, unable to gather even a trace of energy.
Just a bluff!
Aurelius's smile hardened as a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
His body was wrapped in blue flames as he reached out towards Garen.
With Excalibur drawn, it was indeed a divine artifact that must be taken!
The surrounding guild leaders simply stood by, watching as Aurelius made his move on Garen.
From the aura emitted, it was clear that Aurelius had reached the pinnacle of the Demi-God level. Moreover, the secret art he was using was the ancient Devouring Heavenly Flame.
The Devouring Heavenly Flame could consume everything, even burning a person's soul. Just a touch of it could inflict endless agony. Even Garen, in his peak days, wouldn't dare to claim certain victory against Aurelius.
"Pfft!"
Garen simply thrust his sword, much like William's departing strike.
Unadorned and seemingly simple.
The sword tip stopped a thousandth of an inch from Aurelius' throat.
The flames on Aurelius' body dissipated, his complexion turned deathly pale, cold sweat rolling down continuously, his eyes filled with nothing but terror.
Others couldn't see anything special about Garen's strike, but Aurelius understood very well. At the moment Garen struck, he felt as if the entire world had disconnected from him.
The world seemed to pause in time, with only that thrust of the sword remaining.
There was no exaggerated sword light, not even the slightest energy fluctuation. Yet, faced with this strike, he found it utterly unavoidable. His secret art, the Devouring Heavenly Flame, was futile before this sword thrust.
If Garen willed it, that sword could easily pierce his throat.
Such bizarre terror!
Time itself seemed to have stopped. Aside from Aurelius, everyone else looked on in confusion.
To them, it appeared as if Aurelius suddenly charged forward, and Garen slowly thrust his sword, causing Aurelius' Devouring Heavenly Flame to dissipate.
The onlookers burst into laughter.
"Aurelius, you're not suggesting that you lost, are you?"
"Aurelius, I know you and Garen go way back, but there's no need to act this fake, right? Anyone with eyes can see that you two are putting on a show."
"Garen, you might as well hand over the Excalibur and the Starlight Ruby. Aurelius is clearly going all out to defend you."
…
Aurelius was close to cursing out loud. A bunch of idiots, can't you keep quiet?
If he angered Garen and Garen decided not to hold back, killing him with a single sword strike, whom would he turn to?
"Garen, I really didn't mean anything by it, please don't be rash…" Aurelius forced out a smile uglier than crying, wanting yet not daring to flee.
That sword strike from Garen was too terrifying. Even though he couldn't match Garen blow for blow in the past, holding his own for hundreds of rounds was still feasible.
But now, it was clear that it was a one-strike kill!
That sword strike gave him the feeling that if Garen wanted him dead, no matter where he fled to in the world, he would still be struck by that sword.
Garen slashed a nearby tree with his sword and declared, "From now on, our ties are severed. If you ever appear before me again, I will kill you!"
"Yes!" Aurelius hastily retreated three steps, seeing that Garen had no intention of attacking. He then flew away, ignoring everyone else.
Such a reversal left the other guild leaders somewhat confused, but most believed it was a play put on by Aurelius to protect Garen, making them think Garen's strength was still intact.
But who could be intimidated by such a seemingly effortless sword strike?
Even a child swinging a sword would be stronger than Garen!
It was all just a bluff.
Another person stepped forward, smiling at Garen, "Garen, I've long heard of your superb swordsmanship but never had the chance to witness it. Now that you've drawn Excalibur, I'd like to challenge you. Is that alright?"
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