Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

The knights' fight became increasingly brutal. One knight repeatedly stabbed the other off his horse, and as they basked in the applause of the audience, the fallen knight refused to give up, roaring as he dragged his opponent off the horse. The two completely disregarded the rules, wrestling and punching each other with brutal force, providing the audience with an even more delicious spectacle.

……

Zhang Renfeng's appearance was scheduled for last. The host seemed to want the first round of auditions to end amidst laughter from the crowd, and his opponent was the tallest person besides Imond, the one who had just threatened to break his back.

"Damn it, I really got to draw this bastard..." He spat on the ground and complained, "Even if I beat him, it's not something to brag about. Everyone will just laugh at me for killing an idiot."

“It’s alright, Mr. Pierce.” The accompanying servant was clearly relaxed as he handed him the wooden spear, even with a smile. “Didn’t we always have a jester like that at the king’s banquets? He was like a punching bag, there to humiliate people. This man will be the same. The harder you beat him, the louder the cheers will be.”

"Is that so?" Pierce asked doubtfully.

"I guarantee it's true!" the servant assured him confidently, patting his chest.

"Okay." He took the spear and waved it at the audience.

The applause was thunderous.

----

"start!"

……

"Ya—!!"

Pierce yanked the reins sharply, and the tall Alden galloped off towards the other side. This opponent was really too insignificant; he wasn't even wearing a shield. He held a gun in both hands and was determined to knock his opponent off his horse in the first round!

As expected, this cardboard knight had absolutely no combat experience. He didn't even know how to hold a spear; he just held it stiffly in his hand like a wooden stick.

There are still ten meters to go.

five meters.

three meters.

Suddenly, the opponent tossed the spear lightly, switching it from his right hand to his left.

"?!"

Pierce saw it all clearly, was astonished by his power, yet couldn't understand what he was going to do.

The next moment, the Cardboard Knight clamped the horse's body between his legs, tilted his body, and in the instant the two crossed, used his free right hand to choke Pierce's throat.

They lifted him directly off the horse.

Chapter 619: On-site Rule Modification

"Ah ...

The cheers and applause stopped abruptly, making Pierce's screams all the more jarring.

It's not entirely his fault. When faced with something they can't understand, those with weaker wills naturally become emotional, and screaming is his way of relieving stress. However, at this moment, even if he screamed until his voice was hoarse, it probably wouldn't have relieved much of the pressure…

Throughout the history of knightly duels, this is probably the first time in history that one knight has captured the other directly from his horse.

Zhang Renfeng's movements were effortless, like picking a peach; he reached out and plucked it easily. The armor and the rider certainly weighed over 100 kilograms, but to him, it was still within the range of something he could lift with one hand. Galloping over the wooden fence, Zhang Renfeng stretched out his arm and tossed Pierce away like throwing away trash!

"Thump—!!"

He traced an arc in the air, embedding himself in the mud, kicking up clouds of dust and fallen leaves. The plate armor on his chest cracked slightly from the impact, and his helmet deformed, falling off and rolling to the side.

Zhang Renfeng rode his horse slowly, circling around him—he hadn't intended to kill him, which was the only reason Pierce was still alive. But being "alive" meant he was merely still breathing; having taken that throw, almost every bone that could be broken was broken.

Pierce stared wide-eyed in terror, fearing that Zhang Renfeng would dismount and kick him again. He didn't even have the strength to slap the ground in defeat.

"That was a pretty bad fall."

Zhang Renfeng sneered, "I hope your iron shell is sturdy enough. Last time I threw someone off a horse..."

He died on the spot.

……

Despite this unexpected upset, there was no applause from the audience.

From the audience's perspective, this seemed to have transcended a normal knightly duel and entered a completely new realm. Many people began to feel guilty for the boos they had earlier, fearing that they would be targeted again by this strongman dressed in cardboard.

“Holy…” Jenny’s eyes widened, she half-covered her mouth, and looked like she was about to start swearing.

Xiao Mei, on the other hand, proudly puffed out her chest, a hint of smugness in her smile. As Zhang Renfeng's "on-the-spot assistant," she was required to go and fetch the horse at this moment. After a round of fighting, if a spear or shield was damaged, the assistant could provide a new one, but now, there was clearly no need for that.

He didn't even use a spear.

----

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, the match must be suspended!"

The host made a brief announcement, then looked at Zhang Renfeng, who had made it into the winners' bracket, with a dissatisfied gaze, as if complaining that he had added a lot of extra work for him.

After he displayed that skill, none of the surrounding knights dared to approach him again, keeping their horses far away, at least a meter away. The few who had challenged him earlier retreated to the outer edge of the formation, wishing they could disappear from his sight altogether.

Zhang Renfeng was used to this kind of thing and simply smiled, not caring much. He sat on his horse, his posture and expression extremely relaxed, surveying everything around him. This composure stood in stark contrast to the frantic scrambling in the audience.

----

"This person must be kicked out! Otherwise..."

"Where did this guy come from?"

"I don't know, he participated in the competition anonymously."

"It's an utter disgrace that a true knight in full armor would be defeated by a fake in a cardboard box!"

"Let's make it a rule that he can't grab people with his hands, and get him out of here immediately!"

“Mr. Henry, as the organizer of this competition, you should be the one to announce this decision!”

……

"..." All eyes suddenly turned to him, and Henry felt incredibly annoyed. He wanted to rebuke them, but the atmosphere made him unable to speak. He could only say, "But... the rules of knightly duels don't say you can't grab someone with your hands. Rather, a situation like his has never happened before, and I feel it's really unfair to kick him out so abruptly..."

"What are you talking about? What fairness?" Another organizer of the event—a thin old man—adjusted his round glasses and shouted hoarsely, his beard trembling. "This is not a knight at all. He has neither skill nor wisdom. He's just a savage with great strength! His victory is utterly dishonorable!"

“Honor…” Henry smiled bitterly. Because of his father's and family's prestige, he had promised Imond he would ensure the Hysen family's victory. From this moment on, there was no longer any honor; it was merely a performance.

“But… he really did knock Mr. Pierce off his horse. Hundreds of eyes saw it.” Henry shrugged and smiled wryly. “You can’t expect me to tell them that what they just saw was an illusion, can you? Do you think they’re fools?”

“That’s true, but the final interpretation of the rules rests with you, the organizer. You can change the outcome with just a few words,” another organizer cautioned. “Think carefully: if news gets out that some barbarians with no connections defeated well-armored, skilled knights, what will happen to our competition next year?”

"Damaging the knight's reputation is a minor matter; the key issue is that the Heisen family, who organized this competition, will become the laughingstock of others. Haven't you considered this?"

……

It's family again.

The heavy family legacy weighed on his shoulders like a mountain.

Henry paused for a moment, then looked at his father—the dignified old man sitting in the front seat, his eyes fixed on the distance. At times like these, he always remained silent, offering no opinion, but his silence itself was a form of invisible pressure.

Henry hesitated for a long time, then bit his lip.

----

Seeing someone waving at him from the audience, Zhang Renfeng pulled on the reins and slowly walked over.

……

"That was a great play," Henry praised sincerely.

"Thank you." Zhang Renfeng was a little surprised by his personality and couldn't help but look him over a few more times. "Did that flower cause you trouble?"

“Not necessarily.” Henry gave a wry smile, paused for a moment, and then lowered his voice to say, “You can’t use that method again in the upcoming knightly duels. Using it again would be a foul and you’d be immediately ejected from the arena… That’s the best condition I could get.”

"Really?" Zhang Renfeng wasn't surprised; instead, he laughed. "These guys are really interesting."

Chapter 620: It's okay, it's all the same.

Henry didn't understand the meaning of his laughter until the second round of actual combat began.

No longer allowed to grab people with his hands, Zhang Renfeng gripped one end of the spear and swung it like a wooden stick, sweeping across the battlefield and knocking the opponent off his horse!

For ordinary knights, this action would be impossible—they would have to grip the middle of the lance and use the horse's momentum to thrust. If they gripped the butt, the lance would become an extremely strenuous lever, and the balance would be off. But Zhang Renfeng didn't care about balance; to him, this thing was just like chopsticks, since they were both made of wood anyway.

A large windmill, "smack!", swung around and struck the other person's face, like hitting a cricket ball, knocking him off the horse on the spot.

Everyone was in an uproar.

The game was paused again for another heated discussion, much like the previous one. He had made a move that no one had been able to execute in the previous Cavaliers matchup, and the question of whether it was a foul or not was debated for quite some time. This time, Henry seemed to have grasped the key point, insisting that he shouldn't be disqualified.

By this time, the audience had realized—to hell with the knights' duel, this kind of pure violence is much more entertaining!

Most people are easily swayed by the crowd; once the first person cheers, others will follow suit, creating an unstoppable frenzy. Zhang Renfeng's fighting style is bound to attract bloodthirsty spectators; in fact, he himself is even more bloodthirsty than them.

"Under these circumstances, disqualifying him based on the rules would probably truly damage the reputation of the Hysen family!"

After repeated discussions, the group decided on a second rule for Zhang Renfeng: he was not allowed to swing his spear in that manner; he had to hit his opponent with the tip of his spear to win.

As the third round began, everyone's attention shifted. They were all eager to see how this mysterious knight in cardboard would emerge victorious. Simply stabbing his opponent off his horse wasn't enough; they were anticipating something even more exciting.

Zhang Renfeng did not disappoint. He used his spear as a long spear and threw it out, knocking his opponent from his horse again in the third round.

There was an uproar.

It was indeed shot down with the tip of a gun, and it was indeed a weapon they were all issued, leaving them speechless for a moment.

Amidst the clamor of cheers, the band members exchanged glances, hesitating whether or not to play a piece for this cardboard knight who had so thoroughly slapped the "mainstream" in the face.

----

"Stop! Stop the competition immediately!" Several organizers were having a small meeting, completely overwhelmed. One of them, no longer caring about his image, shouted, "You can afford to lose face, but I can't! What kind of nonsense is this?!"

"Calm down, Domike, what's done is done..."

"Who can stay calm?! We were supposed to be in third place in this competition, but then this guy suddenly appeared out of nowhere!"

"The competition absolutely cannot be stopped; it must continue. If it's canceled, what happened today will be the talk of the town in the nearby taverns! Then we'll never be able to recover!"

"Do you think you can turn the tables now? Our knights were killed one by one by this savage like a circus act. Is that something to be proud of?"

……

"Alright, everyone, no need for further words." At this crucial moment, Imond appeared backstage, his height enough to overshadow everyone present. Amidst the chaos, his imposing, slanted eyes appeared even more composed. "Things aren't as bad as they seem."

"I'll take care of him, and everything will be fine."

Everyone looked at him with disbelief.

If Imond had said this ten minutes ago, people would have thought it was nothing, or even a bit of an overreaction. For the second son of the prestigious Hysen family to actually get serious with a clown would have made him seem petty.

But now...

"Can you win?"

“We will win.” He held up one finger, made a shushing gesture, and laughed. “Besides, this is a competition organized by our family. If our family doesn’t win, it would be too embarrassing if word got out.”

"Brother, don't you think so?"

His eyes, hidden beneath the iron helmet, were fixed on Henry with a chilling gaze.

This time, William Hyson, who had remained seated high throughout, finally turned his head and conveyed a silent message to him with his equally icy gaze.

The game of knights has to end here.

He lowered his head.

----

"Here we go again?" Seeing Henry walking towards him from afar, Zhang Renfeng was already used to it, and even joked, "What's their new rule this time? You have to keep your gun with you at all times to win?"

"..."

Henry remained silent for a long time in front of him, without uttering a single word.

At this moment, Zhang Renfeng was completely surrounded, as if the street had been cleared of people. Seeing this, the remaining knights all withdrew from the competition—honor was important, but they didn't want to end up with nothing but broken bones; that would be a huge loss.

……

Jenny watched the two talking from afar, somewhat incredulous, "So... he really is that kind of person..."

“Sister Jenny, aren’t you Henry’s ‘lover’?” Little Mei muttered. “You don’t even know what kind of person he is?”

“I thought he was faking it. All rich nobles are like that. They pretend to be refined on the surface, but their hearts are worse than beasts.” Jenny shrugged. “This kind of thing has happened far too often. It’s all too common.”

However, judging from Henry's expression at this moment... if this is also an act, then his acting skills are indeed a bit exaggerated.