The rustling in the surrounding woods grew more frantic and wild. Alfredo's eyes swept the area with fierce intensity, but he saw nothing. Yet, the voice he had just heard was as clear as if it had been spoken right beside his ear. There was no mistaking it. His lifelong rival was here, in the Eastern Regions, right on his home turf of Swordhaven Keep, yet he had received no intelligence about it whatsoever. With a furious glare, Alfredo swung his sword down, its tip pointing straight at Andrew as he shouted into the forest. "Reginald, come out! Or I'll tear your son apart right now!" The wind suddenly died down, and the forest fell silent. Then, the sound of slow footsteps echoed across the leaves. From between the trees, a tall man stepped out, calm and steady, a faint smile on his face. He stopped about 30 yards away, his presence commanding but relaxed. Reginald called out with a teasing tone, "Andrew, you little brat. Get up and apologize to Mr. Topsfield Senior. How c

An explosion sounded in the distance, and it felt like the entire ground shook at that moment. As Andrew ran forward, he turned to look behind him. The sky in the distance was covered in thickening black clouds, and a column of energy surged upward like a raging storm. He mumbled, "It looks like Dad and Alfredo have started their fight." He was not worried about Reginald's safety at all; he did not need to be. As Donovan once said, "The Lloyd family now has someone who can shoulder any burden. Even if the sky falls, he can hold it up. So, Andrew, Sheena, you can feel free to charge ahead and grow without restraint. Even if you break the heavens, the Lloyd family will handle the mess." At this point, Reginald truly was the Lloyd family's guardian. Yet, Andrew felt the weight on his own shoulders grow heavy. He knew that in the not-too-distant future, he would have to take over the burden his father currently carried. He stopped paying attention to the commotion from the bat

At that moment, the entire Swordhaven Keep gathered near the battlefield. Onyx and Ivory stood among the crowd, along with Jericho and the others, all here to witness the clash between Reginald and Alfredo. Jericho's broken leg had been treated, but he refused to stay home. He forced himself to come, unwilling to miss even a second of a fight like this. Besides, watching two of the strongest warriors go head-to-head was a rare lesson he could not afford to skip. Onyx and Ivory, being the strongest of the rest, stood at the front. Even then, they were several hundred meters from the center of the battleground. The air pressure alone was so fierce that it whipped their hair and brows back, making it hard to keep their eyes open. "Mr. Topsfield Senior's sword feels different today. It's like he's become someone else, stronger than ever!" Onyx shouted over the wind. Ivory chimed in, "True. But the pillar of the Lloyd royal family isn't yielding an inch, and that barrier around him

Protected by the energy barrier around him, Reginald rose steadily into the air. He ascended powerfully through the endless storm of sword energy until he came to a stop directly in front of Alfredo. That same, soul-crushing motion appeared once more. Reginald extended a hand, his palm aimed squarely at Alfredo. "Time to lie down, Alfredo," he stated flatly. An unseen force pierced through the void. Alfredo did not even know how to resist. His body suddenly shook violently, and his entire frame exploded with crackling sounds. Endless blood mist rose into the air. "Mr. Topsfield Senior!" Onyx and Ivory screamed, their voices full of despair. Yet, it was useless. Alfredo's face was already blank with shock as his stiff body plummeted straight down, crashing into the ground. Firefly followed, embedding itself into the dirt beside his head. Alfredo twitched, barely conscious, his fingers trembling as he tried to raise a hand to point at Reginald. "R-Reginald…" he rasped, bu

Guillermo stared at him for a long while, then could not help but shake his head. "There's just no dealing with you. Well then, I'll see you off here. While you've fortunately become a player, Andrew is still on my chessboard." Reginald sighed and said, "Andrew's path is ultimately one he has to walk himself. Actually, I don't want to interfere too much. And Mr. Vazquez, you might not believe this, but I'll say it anyway." Guillermo frowned. "What are you trying to say?" Reginald grinned. "I want to tell you that even though Andrew's energy core is sealed and he seems to still be on the board… He might not be a chess piece anymore." Guillermo snorted coldly. "If he's on the chessboard and not a chess piece, what else could he be?" Reginald shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but I know he's not a chess piece. My original plan was to keep him from setting foot in Chetvine until his energy core was fully restored. Yet, his actions greatly exceeded my expectations. He retu