Realm of Kings

Connor's Strength

Even Alicia was taken aback by Jerome's shameless attitude.

She couldn't help but question if he even shared the same blood as Jax, as elder brothers were meant to protect their younger siblings.

However, instead of being a protector, Jerome acted as a bully towards Jax.

His greed and ambition drove him to want everything that Jax had, and he was never satisfied, even after swindling part of Jax's inheritance through deceit.

Jerome knew that his father rarely paid attention to this area, resulting in low surveillance on him.

This knowledge fueled his actions, as he was confident that the spies in this region wouldn't have the courage to report him to his father, considering Jax's status as a bastard and the Village he was given being in a dilapidated state.

Furthermore, Jerome had already bribed most of the spies he knew, ensuring that they wouldn't dare offend someone who held so much potential compared to Jax.

While Jax's future appeared bleak, as if he wouldn't even survive the ongoing war, Jerome believed that if news of his actions did reach their father, he might not even face punishment.

It was common for strong kings to extend an olive branch with rewards to strong warriors working under their subsidiaries, hoping to entice them to join their cause.

If lucky, they would gain another valuable soldier without the hassle of training them from scratch.

Connor observed Jerome with the same indifference he had displayed when Jerome disrespected Jax earlier.

Shaking his head, Connor said, almost silently but loud enough for everyone to hear and understand,

"No!"

To someone else, it felt like an insult.

The thought of rejection hadn't even crossed Jerome's mind, and being rejected so openly in front of his soldiers and men left him feeling deeply embarrassed.

Jerome clenched his fists and gritted his teeth while he stared at Connor.

"Think about it properly," Connor said,

pointing at the soldiers who tightly held onto their bats.

"Jax can't even provide you with proper armor, You can only wear clothes made from animal skins. Look at these men, They don't even have swords or shields to protect themselves, They are worse off than you. Is this how you want to continue your life, working for someone who doesn't even understand the tactics of war, someone who might die soon due to his negligence towards his own soldiers?"

"I would rather die a man with pride than live the rest of my life as a coward," Connor replied defiantly.

"And you can forget about persuading me. I have pledged my life to my liege."

Connor's statement only seemed to further enrage Jerome.

"Since you have decided to embarrass me, I won't mind breaking that pride of yours a little," Jerome said, pointing at the two peak Tier 1 warriors who had accompanied him.

"Hey, captains, take care of him for me."

The two warriors dashed towards Connor with their swords, but Connor quickly moved away from Jax's back, positioning his own sword in front of him to defend against their strikes.

Tink! Tink! Clang!

The clash of swords echoed in the air as Connor and the two captains exchanged moves.

Jerome was surprised to see that Connor could hold his own even when facing two warriors of captain level.

His composure and strength exceeded Jerome's imagination.

Even a clueless warrior could see that Connor had the upper hand in the fight, taking advantage of every opportunity to counter-attack despite fighting against two opponents.

Jerome stared intently at the fight, hoping for some kind of miracle, but nothing of the sort happened.

Just like that, one of his captains was forced to step back as Connor kicked him in the guts.

Leaving him to face only one of the captain for a few seconds, Connor saw this as a perfect opportunity to deal with one of them.

He increased his speed, flashing straight to the front of the remaining captain.

With his sword raised high, the sight of the huge weapon caused the captain's eyes to shake.

It seemed as if the sword stopped space and time around it, with little sparks flashing along the edges.

Swing!

Connor finally swung his sword with full force, causing the captain to quickly use his Qi to form a shield for protection.

He also placed his sword in front of the shield as an extra layer of defense, coating it with Qi to give it a bright white light.

However, the moment Connor's sword clashed with the shield, it crumbled easily, like a stone thrown at fragile glass.

The captain shivered as he saw this happen, desperately wishing he could dodge the sword attack.

But it was too late, as no matter where he moved, he would still be within range of the attack.

"Arrgghhh!!" the captain shouted, pouring all his Qi into the sword, hoping to stop the attack and avoid serious injury.

But as soon as the tip of Connor's sword collided with his weapon, he realized that his hopes were in vain.

His hand went completely numb, and a strong force passed from his weapon to his hands, then through his body, propelling him into the mass of soldiers that had come with them.

He crashed into the horses, causing many soldiers to fall from their mounts.

As he lay defeated on the ground, blood spurted from his mouth.

The other captain, who had gotten up, was surprised at how quickly his friend had been defeated.

After all, Connor's strength and skill were beyond their expectations.

All of this unfolded within a span of just three seconds.

The captain glanced at Connor, who was already looking back at him with his sword raised high overhead, preparing to unleash another attack.

In a desperate plea, the captain turned his gaze towards Jerome, silently begging him to call off the match.

He had no desire to end up in the same defeated state as his friend.

Jerome himself was taken aback by the turn of events.

He had entered the fight with the assumption that he could easily defeat Connor by outnumbering him with multiple captains.

He believed he held the advantage since there were two men on his side compared to Connor's solitary presence.

However, he now realized how mistaken he had been.

The captain who had stood beside his brother was truly formidable, displaying a strength at a level a little higher than that of a captain.