Though Baron Bloodshield's actions were sudden and went against his earlier behavior, they didn't really catch Liora off guard.

Her previous experiences had taught her never to underestimate anyone, especially people whose status and strength were extraordinary.

Therefore, facing the sudden attack, she instantly reacted.

She didn't choose to face the blow head-on, but rather pushed her feet against the stirrups on either side, launching herself backwards.

Her body did a flip while in the air before she landed gently on the ground, and, with a twist of her wrist, made a move to unsheathe her supposed sword.

Secretly, she activated Shadow Manipulation, creating a sword of darkness within the sheath and taking it out.

Clutching its handle, she instinctively raised it before her chest and braced herself for the following impact.

Indeed, only a split second later, Baron Bloodshield's figure flashed beside her and slashed with his sword once more.

Although Liora's quick reaction had indeed surprised the Baron, his goal had already been achieved—he had set the rhythm for the following battle, gaining an advantage over his opponent.

The two swords met.

With a clang, a burst of sparks was created upon the point of collision, as the Baron's momentum forced Liora to step back.

Taking advantage of her state, the Baron's onslaught continued.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged hundreds of moves, bringing devastation to the land around them.

Dozens of trees were uprooted while deep craters were created along their path, evidence of the power that the pair possessed.

A couple of unlucky Knight Apprentices happened to be on their way unintentionally, instantly turning into an unrecognizable mess of flesh and blood.

Witnessing the battle between the two ferocious True Knights, the Knight Apprentices realized the gap between them.

Knowing that they could not afford to interfere in their battle, they cautiously opened up some distance.

Then, they chose an opponent from the enemy team and, following their respective leaders, engaged in bloody battle.

Neither party in the heart of the battlefield cared about their subordinates' actions.

Both Liora and the Baron were fully focused, seemingly only having each other's figures in their eyes.

"According to the information spread in the Iron Armor Empire, Baron Bloodshield is quite weak among True Knights. It's rumored that he only managed to advance because of the late Earl's endless support."

"But now, it seems that these rumors were all wrong. Everyone has underestimated this person.", Liora analyzed as she parried one more of the Baron's offensive moves.

During their confrontation, she had already estimated the Baron's strength, and the result surprised her.

Unlike what everyone thought, Baron Bloodshield was not only not a weakling but was actually fairly strong.

Judging from his strength, he should have long reached the peak of the True Knight rank and, with a single opportunity, could advance even further and become a Great Knight.

Great Knight—this was a rank that only a few select people could reach within the Iron Armor Empire, and even Earl Black Tulip was not one of them.

"If I were to go all out, I should be able to overpower him. But it's rare to meet such a suitable sparring partner. Moreover...", Liora glanced at the side unintentionally before continuing her battle.

Since she was only using her True Knight strength and didn't activate any of her Devil abilities, Liora found herself at a massive disadvantage.

Not only because the Baron was more powerful, but also because he was far more familiar with the use of Life Force.

Each time he struck, he would only use the bare minimum amount of Life Force required before dispersing it. This was the condensation of his many years of experience, giving him outstanding control over his own Life Force.

Faced with the flurry of attacks, Liora didn't show any worry. Instead, she felt faintly excited.

The Baron's movements fell into her eyes and were quickly analyzed, before being integrated into her own combat method.

Slowly, the rhythm of the battle began to change.

When the fight between the two first started, Liora was at a complete disadvantage.

Yet, as more and more of the Baron's movements were analyzed and integrated into her arsenal, the gap between them quickly narrowed.

By the end, Liora's use of Life Force even surpassed that of the Baron, giving her the chance to faintly suppress him.

As her opponent and "sparring" partner, Baron Bloodshield keenly sensed the changes taking place in Liora.

Although he was shocked to find himself on the weaker side all of a sudden, he didn't believe that Liora had improved so quickly on the spot.

Or rather, he wasn't willing to believe it.

Secretly, the Baron thought that Liora must have been hiding her true strength and only gradually revealed her combat power.

Though he couldn't understand why she would do such a meaningless thing, it was the only explanation that he could find.

The two remained silent—each with their own thoughts and plans—but time didn't stop to wait for them. The battle continued.

A burst of black light coiled around Liora's arm and boosted her strength as she launched another attack.

Faced with it, the Baron could only hastily defend.

Yet, the moment before the two swords collided, Liora flicked her wrist and abruptly changed the trajectory of her slash.

In an unexpected turn of events, her sword completely bypassed the Baron's defense and struck directly at his torso.

The metal armor that was protecting him could not provide him much defense. It was instantly pierced, only earning him a split second during which he took half a step back.

Still, the shadowy sword scraped against Baron Bloodshield's abdomen, leaving behind a large, bloody gash.

The Baron's eyes shrank.

For the first time since the start of the battle, he had actually suffered an injury. And a pretty severe injury at that.

This meant that the balance of victory had shifted, and it was only going to get worse from this moment on.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Liora fearfully before opening his mouth to speak:

"What are you waiting for? When are you going to take action?"

Before the Baron's thunderous voice could finish, Liora sensed a dark blade appearing behind her and striking at her head.

Instinctively, she adjusted her posture and raised her sword, ready to defend against the assassin.

Yet, the moment she completed this action, another blade flashed.

Equally dark and equally dangerous, it lunged forward like a menacing snake, aiming at the left side of her chest—at her heart.

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