The Grand Duelist

Joseph felt like a heavy sledgehammer struck his chest. He flew back towards a nearby wall and coughed a mouthful of blood.

[ You suffered 135,231 damage. ]

[ The effects of [Cradle of Nature] has been triggered. Damage has been redirected. ]

[ Your body is too weak and has suffered damage from the remnants of an unknown attack. ]

[ This is a natural phenomenon and cannot be resisted by the effects of [Cradle of Nature]. ]

[ You suffered 375 damage! ]

"Master!"

When the cloud of dust that covered the area disappeared, Joseph saw Ezreal rushing towards him.

"I'm fine, Ezreal! I'm still alive... How about you? Are you okay?"

Joseph skimmed through the system notifications that appeared right before his eyes and he realized that the damage redirection of the so-called [Cradle of Nature] targeted Ezreal. This was proven when Joseph saw traces of blood dripping down Ezreal's lips.

"Yeah, I'm fine, master. Something like this would not kill me. But more importantly..." Ezreal turned serious, he turned around and stared at a certain direction.

Joseph steadied himself and stood up, he followed Ezreal's eyes and there. He found an incomparably ghastly sight.

The so-called Legendary Blacksmith looked nothing like what Joseph and Ezreal expected.

Ahead of them was a standing stone slab that had several dozens of chains embedded deep into it. However, that was not the shocking part, what thoroughly astonished the two was the state of the old man bound in those chains.

The old man had a full set of disheveled white hair that looked brownish from the blood. His body was as thin as a matchstick and he had a wrinkled face similar to that of an evil spirit.

However, although he looked miserable, his eyes were terrifyingly sharp and radiating coldness comparable to that of a thousand-year-old icy cavern.

The resentment and anger within his eyes alone were enough to send shivers down Ezreal's spine. As for Joseph, he had to gulp a mouthful of saliva before he could forcefully suppress the fear raging inside of him. Joseph was thankful that he had experienced the horrors of the Underground Penitentiary before he met this old man.

If not, he reckoned that he would've collapsed in fear and descended into unconsciousness just from the sight of the so-called Legendary Blacksmith.

"Someone with an incomparably pure bloodline from the Kingdom is actually here, posing as an Inquisitor? Hahaha, what a joke."

A voice that was hoarse but filled with immeasurable dignity and pride rang out. Joseph and Ezreal awakened from their trance. They both stared at the old man with serious expressions.

It was because they could feel the old man's murderous aura rising instead of calming down.

This was a clear sign of an imminent attack.

But suddenly...

"Hm?" Joseph subconsciously mumbled. It was because the old man's murderous aura suddenly disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.

"Did he just troll us?" Joseph thought and as soon as his nerves calmed down...

"Master!"

Ezreal suddenly cried out and he once again reached his hand towards Joseph. A barely imperceptible ray of light flew from the old man towards the two, specifically targeting Joseph who was clearly weaker than Ezreal.

"It is an honor that I get to fight someone from that holy kingdom. Come, face me! If you want me to agree with your schemes, show me your strength!" The old man roared in a resentful manner, his murderous aura surged once again and it enveloped everything within the sealed room.

[ You are in front of a Legend. ]

[ A Legend is an existence that must be respected. ]

[ You feel an urge to bow your head and pay respects. ]

[ The effects of your title [Mythical Authority] has been activated. ]

[ No one can make you submit. ]

[ Your dignity can never be lower than those who dare stand before you. ]

[ You have resisted. ]

Several system notifications popped out in front of Joseph and he subconsciously turned to look at Ezreal. Ezreal didn't have the Mythical Authority title and he thought that Ezreal may not be able to endure the suppression of a legend. That was the truth. Right now, Ezreal currently knelt on the ground with both of his knees.

However, that suppression didn't last for too long.

Why?

Well...

It was because they were in the Underground Penitentiary.

And within the Underground Penitentiary?

The Inquisitors were the strongest, second only to the Jail Warden.

I mean, it would not make sense that an Inquisitor would be suppressed by their prisoners, right?

[ You are recognized by the [ Spirit ] of the Underground Penitentiary as an [ Inquisitor ]. ]

[ A [ Prisoner ] is revolting against an [ Inquisitor ]! ]

[ Punishment shall descend! ]

Another series of system notifications appeared before Joseph, and a flash of blue along with the booming sound of thunder suddenly appeared in the middle of the sealed room.

Lightning sizzled and the light finally disappeared. What remained was a scorched old man who suddenly threw his head backward and released an incomparably resentful scream.

"GRR… AAHH!!!! You bastards from the Underground Penitentiary!!! If you bastards have the guts then hurry up and kill me already! No matter what happens, I will never hand over my Production Methods to bastards like you!!!"

The scream that he unleashed was far more terrifying than one could expect. Shivers ran down Joseph and Ezreal's spine as the two of them stared hard at the old man with pale expressions on their faces.

"Since I can't reveal my true strength... It's a shame, but I will make do with my current strength and have you bastards from this damned place to experience the pain that I feel every day!"

The old man didn't move, he merely glared at the two but Ezreal suddenly pounced at Joseph and the two collapsed with their stomachs facing the ground.

Joseph awakened from his trance as soon as he crashed on the ground, but the back of his head suddenly became sticky and he felt a sharp pain coming from his nape.

[You suffered 502 damage!]

"Shit. I'm sorry, master. I was a step too late."

Ezreal apologized, and Joseph shook his head: "It's not your fault, Ezreal. This old man is just an absolute monster. His attacks are so fast that I can barely follow them with my eyes. Not only that, they are transparent so tracking them in a dark location like this is goddamned difficult!"

Ezreal bitterly smiled when he heard what Joseph said. He was right, Krid's attacks were not only fast, but they were also too hard to track.

What's worse was that Krid used the darkness to his advantage and he repeatedly changed the trajectory of his attacks in mid-air just so he could further confuse the two.

"Hahaha! Even if I am bound in these chains, know that I can still kill you two dogs!" Krid laughed out loud with madness surging in his eyes.

He looked like he would never listen to anything due to his prejudice against Inquisitors. However, Joseph couldn't really find him at fault here, Inquisitors were really vicious people.

"Shit, what should we do..." A bitter expression emerged on Joseph's face. He felt useless. When they first stepped into this sealed room until now. Ezreal was the one that kept him alive. If not for Ezreal's protection. Joseph would have died for several dozens of times already.

Joseph was someone who didn't want to fight in a battle without a clear plan. But he was also someone who gathered information about his enemies through repeated deaths. This was the strategy that he used against the Great Magician Lilibeth back at the Festival of Battles.

Back then, Joseph thought of nothing about the concept of dying...

However, when he remembered that the residents of this world, although miserable, were doing all that they could do just so they could live. He now understood the value of life, life must not be wasted so easily. One must live to the fullest, and know that their lives were valuable!

"I must find something... I must find something that I can use against that old bastard... How about attacking him by blending myself with the darkness? No! That's futile, the old man's way of attacking shows that he is incredibly knowledgeable about his surroundings. It would be useless to take advantage of it!" Joseph rapidly mumbled.

Ezreal stood before him and clanging sounds repeatedly rang out. But every time that clanging sound rang out, blood splattered on the ground along with Ezreal's pained moans.

"Fuck it, I cannot hesitate! Ezreal's life is on the line! I must decide! Fast!" Joseph repeatedly slapped his cheeks trying to calm his racing heart.

"Master..." Ezreal squeezed out a moan amidst the sharp pain that wreaked havoc on his body. His hands kept on moving, but he made a sidelong glance at Joseph and smiled.

"I trust you, master..."

Joseph froze.

"Show him the strength of a myth, master..." Ezreal's smile deepened and Joseph finally awakened from his trance.

He took a deep breath and stood up.

Yes, that's right...

He was a myth...

Someone that was far stronger than a Legend.

Why would he be afraid in front of a Legend?

Joseph unsheathed his sword and stared right at his opponent. With Ezreal's continuous protection, he didn't fear getting struck by any of Krid's attacks.

"Thanks, Ezreal... Thank you for giving me the confidence that I needed."

Joseph stretched his hand and placed it on Ezreal's shoulder.

"You rest now..."

"Master..."

Tears welled up within Ezreal's eyes but he complied and slowly closed his eyelids. When he relaxed, exhaustion overcame his body and he collapsed on the ground.

However, before he could completely lose consciousness, he sent a ray of greenish light towards Joseph's body, unknown to the latter.

Clang!

A fierce sound rang out.

Krid attacked when the two were talking to each other.

Unfortunately, Joseph blocked his attack before it could even reach him.

He raised his head and stared at Krid, his visage devoid of fear nor hesitation for the only resolve remained.

"You will pay for what you did to my friend..." Joseph coldly mumbled.

Before Krid could speak, Joseph suddenly disappeared from his sight.

"The Grand Duelist's Dash."

Joseph left these words in his wake with his disappearance.