Chapter 124: Knight of the High Elf (2)

In a clearing within the forest, some distance away from Arkemis’s house, Ketal and Parco stood facing each other. Ketal spoke first.

“Let’s keep it simple. If you defeat me, I will no longer get involved. I’ll disappear from your lives entirely. Arkemis will also give up alchemy.” Ketal glanced over at Arkemis. “Are you okay with that?”

“Sure, no problem,” she replied calmly.

“Thank you,” Ketal continued. “Conversely, if you lose to me, you won’t interfere with Arkemis practicing alchemy—even if she returns to your holy land.”

“Do as you wish,” Parco said confidently, as though it were inconceivable for him to lose. He intended to show this barbarian clearly the difference between their strengths.

Parco glanced at Arkemis skeptically. “Are you certain this is acceptable, Lady Arkemis? Leaving something you cherish to the mercy of this barbarian?”

He wanted confirmation. If Ketal lost, Arkemis would have to abandon alchemy, effectively surrendering her cherished dreams into another’s hands.

“Yeah, I don’t really care,” Arkemis murmured indifferently.

Parco’s eyebrow twitched at her nonchalant attitude, irritated that she behaved as though she had no doubt Ketal would win.

“

Tch

, then let’s begin. Make your declaration,” Parco snapped roughly at Ketal. “I Parco Venecia Kelt, pledge my honor that should I lose this duel, I will no longer interfere with Lady Arkemis’s pursuit of alchemy, and instead become her shield.

“And I, Ketal the Barbarian, pledge my honor that if I lose this duel, I will no longer interfere in your affairs,” Ketal said calmly.

With their declarations, the atmosphere shifted instantly. A sharp wind brushed Ketal.

“You’re just a worthless pest clinging to Lady Arkemis. Filthy humans like you stain her dignity,” Parco sneered.

“Is that so?” Ketal replied with a faint smile.

Parco narrowed his eyes. Although he could sense some Myst in Ketal, it was insignificant—around Intermediate level at best. Yet, Ketal had easily shattered his sphere of wind attack before.

He must be hiding something,

Parco thought, but it could only be some minor tricks. The solution was to crush Ketal with sheer force.

Without hesitation, Parco shouted, “Turn and take form! O wind, seize my enemy with your unfettered strength!”

Sharp gusts of wind moved instantly, taking shape into threads and restraining Ketal’s limbs.

“Oh!” Ketal’s eyes widened in surprise. It was as though nature itself had physical force, restraining him directly. Arkemis, Adamant, and other mages he’d met had controlled similar powers, but their methods were vastly different.

Arkemis used alchemy to command nature within her domain. Also, Adamant used mana to dominate natural forces. However, while those methods forcefully manipulated nature, Parco’s approach was different: it felt like nature itself willingly cooperated with him.

Magic and spirit manipulation truly are different,

Ketal noted curiously, remaining still as if willingly restrained.

Parco raised his hand again, as he was certain Ketal was subdued. The wind rapidly condensed, forming a bow.

“Oh?” Ketal murmured, intrigued.

So, he doesn’t carry a bow—he creates one.

While Ketal was absorbed in fascination, Parco drew the bowstring made of wind, gathering power into a single point.

“Spirit of wind that stride upon the earth, gather and condense, compress and spin!” Parco shouted. A storm compressed into an arrow’s form. Then, he declared firmly, “Recognize your sin in daring to oppose an elf!”

He released the arrow. It shot toward Ketal with ferocious speed. Ketal merely stared calmly as the arrow struck him.

A violent storm erupted at the impact. Extreme, condensed winds exploded upward into a controlled hurricane, yet none of its force leaked into the surroundings. It was a display of astonishing precision and power befitting a knight of the High Elves.

“He really is strong,” Arkemis murmured, quietly impressed.

Parco’s strength was undeniable, truly at the pinnacle of Transcendents. Even at her full strength, Arkemis couldn’t easily defeat him without leveraging her domain. After all, a knight of the High Elves was an elite warrior, chosen only from the strongest elves within Elfo Sagrado.

However, Arkemis’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I sensed your intent to kill Ketal just now, Parco.”

“If he were truly as strong as he claimed, my attack would not kill him,” Parco replied calmly. He turned fully to Arkemis, his tone now carrying the gentle scolding reserved for a disobedient child.

“Lady Arkemis, you are a noble High Elf. It is distressing enough that you obsess over something as mundane as alchemy. Yet, now you even associate with a trivial barbarian like this. Truly regrettable.” He bowed his head apologetically. “All of this is only for your own good. Please forget this barbarian and return with us.”

Arkemis’s expression remained unchanged, indifferent.

“Yeah, sure,” she said lightly, “if you actually win that is.”

“What?” Parco looked at her in confusion. The storm arrow had definitely landed a direct hit. Even if Ketal hadn’t died, he should have been critically wounded.

At that moment, Parco realized what Arkemis meant. The violent wind gradually settled, and Parco’s pupils widened in shock.

“What?!” he shouted.

Ketal stood exactly as he had before, completely unharmed. He tilted his head thoughtfully, observing Parco closely. “You’re similar to Marseria.

Marseria was the elf queen he had met before.

Ketal continued on his remark calmly. “But you’re not quite at her level—just slightly below.”

“You bastard!” Parco snarled, frantically drawing his bow again. A volley of wind arrows shot toward Ketal at blinding speed, aiming to pierce through him.

Yet, Ketal merely stepped forward lightly, almost casually. With that single movement, every arrow shattered helplessly. Ketal appeared directly in front of Parco, their gazes locking at close range.

Panicking, Parco hastily leaped upward, using the wind to propel himself into the air.

“So, you can do something like that too,” Ketal said with genuine amusement.

Parco fired another barrage of arrows frantically, a relentless downpour of wind. Ketal effortlessly dodged each one, weaving through them with casual ease.

“

Tch!

” Parco snarled, frustration rising as he drew back his bowstring once more, pulling it to its limit. The wind rapidly condensed into a tight mass. “Explode!”

The arrow burst into countless razor-sharp wind blades, raining down in an unavoidable storm.

“Magnificent!” Ketal laughed lightly, raising his fist and striking upward.

The fierce windstorm scattered harmlessly under the force of Ketal’s punch, leaving Parco utterly stunned.

“How is this possible?!” he screamed, launching attack after attack to no avail.

Arkemis watched calmly from a distance, unsurprised by the outcome. Parco was undoubtedly powerful, among the strongest of elves—clearly a higher level of Transcendents. Yet, Ketal was obviously stronger.

She had witnessed Ketal easily defeat Butler, a named demon. Compared to that, Parco’s abilities, though impressive, fell short.

What exactly is this barbarian capable of?

Arkemis wondered quietly. She had spent considerable time with Ketal, yet his strength still lay beyond her comprehension. Without magic or Myst, he relied solely on his overwhelming physical prowess.

It was as though his very body embodied the power of Myst.

Could it be that his physical form itself is of a higher order?

she wondered.

Arkemis silently pondered this thought as the battle continued. Parco’s relentless attacks continued to break helplessly against Ketal. Ketal raised his eyes to Parco, who was still suspended high above.

“Aren’t you coming down? This is getting boring,” Ketal said, clearly unimpressed.

Hearing this, Parco felt a deep sting of humiliation.

“Fine...,” Parco growled through gritted teeth, slowly descending to the ground. “You hid your strength well, human.”

“I wasn’t hiding anything,” Ketal replied.

“Shut up,” Parco snapped. “Fine, I will acknowledge that you’re stronger than I thought. Then I’ll treat you accordingly.”

He steadied his breathing and clasped his hands together. A wind began to swirl, rapidly intensifying into a fierce storm.

“I summon you, the being born within the wind!”

For the first time, Arkemis’s indifferent expression broke into a shock.

“What?” she gasped, stunned.

“I summon you, wielder of the raging storm!” Parco continued chanting.

“Oh!” Ketal’s eyes lit up in excitement. He quickly understood that Parco was summoning an elemental spirit.

Am I finally going to see another spirit?

Ketal thought eagerly, watching the summoning with genuine anticipation.

Parco continued chanting with a solemn expression. “Come forth, you who walk upon the heavens and gaze upon the earth—Brunstad!”

Whoosh!

The swirling winds coalesced, forming a massive shape. Soon, the wind solidified into a clear form—a giant stag-like spirit stood proudly, raising its enormous antlers.

“Did you call upon me?” Brunstad said.

Arkemis stared, utterly astonished. “You’ve contracted an Epic spirit?”

Spirits were beings of nature, and elves were naturally attuned to them, making summoning easier than for other races. However, even for elves, forming a contract with an Epic spirit was exceedingly rare.

Spirits at this level had strong pride and only chose masters carefully. Only a select few elves ever achieved such contracts, and even fewer beings across the entire continent could summon a Legendary spirit.

This was a remarkable achievement, unquestionably.

“Hahaha!” Parco laughed triumphantly, certain of his victory. “Feel despair, human!”

His voice was filled with arrogant certainty. An Epic spirit like Brunstad possessed power exceeding even that of Parco himself or Arkemis at her best.

“Brunstad, spirit of wind! Defeat my enemy!” Parco commanded.

“Understood. “Brunstad shook its antlers gently, its voice resonating with the calm confidence of a being assured of its unmatched power.

Parco pointed fiercely at Ketal. “That barbarian is your target!”

“I shall fulfill our contract,” Brunstad replied calmly, hostility flowing from its enormous frame.

Parco twisted his lips into a cold smile. “Now, bow before overwhelming power!”

He fully expected to see despair and shock etched onto Ketal’s face. After all, the power of an Epic spirit was devastating, as written in many legends. No matter how strong Ketal was, he should have paled before it—that was what Parco believed without a doubt.

However, the expression he found on Ketal’s face stunned him speechless. Instead of panic or despair, Ketal simply looked disappointed.

“Hmm,” Ketal murmured, clearly unimpressed. “Just an Epic spirit, huh? Well, I suppose it’ll do.”