Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

Without magical protection, the Silver Spear Pegasus that were directly hit by Skadi's Greatsword were not just lucky to have their breastplates shattered; it was an extremely horrific sight that reminded the Silver Spear Pegasus of their comrades who had been blown to pieces by cannonballs on the battlefield.

Once again, Loting unleashed [Deep Sea Impact] by stomping the ground. This time, without the protection of the accompanying spells, the Silver Spear Pegasus could not withstand three energy impacts with terrifyingly high temperatures. The Silver Spear Pegasus closest to Loting trembled and let out a wail, emitting a nauseating burnt smell.

Unfortunately, the shield from the W skill cannot be restored, and once it is broken, the magic damage from the attack ends prematurely.

The giant knight didn't dodge the next attack at all. Lotin only needed to keep himself in close range with these silver-speared pegasus horses. The outer ring scraped, the inner ring burned. Hitting me was the same as hitting himself.

Laurentina's Originium Arts emitted a soft glow, a dazzling light that was incredibly blinding to others, thus providing Lotin with a significant boost to his health and mana.

The loss of synergistic spells also means that they can no longer resist the immobilization effect of [Overwhelming Force]. The swift-moving Silver Spear Pegasus will be temporarily immobilized by the chaotic energy as soon as it is grazed by the hammer and axe.

No matter how much Silver Spear Pegasus's body was tempered, it was still no match for Loting, whose health was close to 4000 and who was equipped with a [Sunfire Cloak].

Some of the Silver Spear Pegasus were sent flying by the giant hammer, while others faced an even more tragic fate, being mercilessly dismembered by Skadi or having their flesh fused to their armor due to the intense heat.

"Unfortunately, your plan to put me back in my grave has failed."

The last silver-speared pegasus guarded the Grand Knight Commander. They all had burns of varying degrees, and just maintaining the standing posture with their spears raised almost exhausted their last bit of strength.

Loting's health nearly dropped to almost half at the most dangerous moment, but that really was just a fleeting instant.

With spell vamp, high health regeneration, and the passive effect of the Staff of Time, Lotin's health was quickly raised to more than two-thirds.

The accumulation of race and passive skill levels completely eliminates the possibility of Silver Spear Pegasus engaging in a prolonged battle.

The Silver Spear and Pegasus worked together flawlessly, but whether it was lance thrusts or magical attacks, the damage from a single strike was still insufficient. Their defensive spells provided them with many opportunities to attack, but Lotin's durability and resistance were still superior.

The reward for defeating the Silver Spear Pegasus was quite generous, directly raising Lotin's level to 10.

The accumulated stacks of [Inner Steel] and [Undying Grip] from this battle even raised Lotin's health to over 4000, to the point that the change in his physique could be clearly observed.

This battle made Lotin feel a long-lost sense of fatigue—feeling fatigue without using his giant form, which made Lotin use almost every means except giant form.

"Do you really still want to fight me to the death?"

Beneath this skin, Lotin's body is almost entirely free of bloodstains, as they are all evaporated by the beam of light.

He kept his ability to grow to gigantic size to himself in case Kazimierz actually sent a fleet to deal with him.

Ioleta still did not put down her sword, and she continued her standoff with Lotin.

"Or are you still fantasizing about exchanging a meager offering for my power?"

“When I announced the dismantling of the main force of the Unarmored Alliance, you appeared in the Great Knight Territory with your Silver Spear and Pegasus.”

"How did you manage to do this without precise calculations and communication with the business association?"

Lotin relentlessly questioned Ioleta, clearly indicating that the Silver Spear Pegasus had not come to visit a dangerous being from the past.

"Your power is so destructive, how can a tender new shoot withstand your pressure?"

Even at this point, Ioleta was still dodging the question, arguing that the Radiant Knight was not the only reason she had come to the Great Knight Territory, and she had not given a direct answer to Lotin's question.

"Since it's a test, we'll give her the opportunity to continue growing."

"Whether you succeed or fail in the test is not the point. What you are really worried about is not the Radiant Knight, but whether an ancient being like me will continue to cast a shadow over the land of Kazimierz."

"You fear that the Casimir people will henceforth be forced to live groveling at the feet of that giant."

Lotin shook his head dismissively. He had repeatedly emphasized that he was not interested in who actually held power in Kazimir.

His power in the kingdom of Kazimierz will be enhanced by the people of Kazimierz's perception, and he will collect tithes based on their perception. Therefore, Lotin must restore the influence of [Light Knight Nautilus].

“I promise that I will not interfere in any of the mundane affairs of Kazimierz from now on. On the contrary, you will be protected in the face of a real threat to civilization, just as you have always been.”

"However, future Grand Knights must pass my test before they can take office, and the champions of the Knights' Tournament must be recognized by me to have their portraits included in the Rolling Army Memorial Hall. Future rising stars like the Radiant Knight must pass my trials to be qualified to lead the development of Kazimierz."

This is a safety net, a safeguard to prevent Lotin's influence from being diminished in the future. The former Giant Knight was probably gradually stripped of his influence over Kazimierz through a slow, gradual process, like a frog being boiled in water.

This is also the condition that Lok Ting had to use force to make the other party accept. Winning or losing is actually the difference between collecting more or less tithes, and the difference between having the dominant power of influence in Lok Ting's hands or in the hands of the Securities and Futures Commission.

Ioleta refused Lotin's conditions because she did not want Lotin to use this opportunity to restore the influence of the "Knight of Light Nautilus" over the entire Kazimierz. Instead, she only wanted a small number of Kazimierz, or more precisely, specially trained and confidential members of the Oversight Council, to provide Lotin with "honor points".

The perception of the Kazimierz people regarding the figure of "Nautilus, the Knight of Light" will be kept within the scope that the Supervisory Council can monitor and control.

She believed this would limit Lotin's power derived from the knowledge of the Qazimirs, thus placing the Overwatch Council in a dominant position between the two, maintaining sufficient power to restrain this dangerous ancient entity.

But her plan was flawed from the start. Even if Lotin didn't fully restore the Kazimierz people's understanding of the "Knight of Light, Nautilus," she and her Silver Spear Pegasus were no match for Lotin.

"Therefore, pay the tithe."

Loting issued an ultimatum, leaving no room for further negotiation.

He is the winner, and he has enough leverage to demand that the other party accept his terms.

Ioleta, still trembling, placed her sword against her neck, unable to face the Silver Spear Pegasus who had died because of her.

Chapter 89: Returning Like Lightning

The knights, hoarse from using their last strength to protect Ioleta, pleaded, but their master still stood in front of Lotin, wanting to end his own life. The elite and pride of Kazimierz were meaninglessly buried in the Great Knights' Territory on this night that should have been a worldly celebration.

Ultimately, the knights were unwilling to allow their power to be threatened in any way, especially with the rise of merchants, which greatly spurred them on.

"You'd rather kill yourself than accept my offer?"

What exactly makes you so stubborn and inflexible?

Lotin raised a perplexing question.

Judging from the current situation, Luo Ting can only conclude that the other party has been completely broken down by him and has reached the point of having no will to live.

Trying to fool an uncontrollable entity, only to end up shooting yourself in the foot.

It seems that her understanding and reasonableness are limited to the kindness of an old man towards a young man.

"Since you are unwilling to offer tribute, then use your head to spread my infamous name."

Laurentina used the sharp edge of her staff to cut off the other woman's head before she could commit suicide. Since she was unwilling to announce Lotin's existence at the press conference of the Council of Supervisors while still alive, nor did she want to announce the return of the Giant Knight to Kazimierz to the National Assembly, Lotin could only hang her head in front of the National Assembly or the gate of the Council of Supervisors.

Seeing this desperate scene, the last remaining Silver Spear Pegasus finally lost all will to continue fighting.

These people knew that the skin's extra power came from the knowledge of the Kazimierz, so Lotin carefully examined each Silver Spear Pegasus to ensure they were turned into corpses.

The Great Knights Territory has entered a state of martial law. The city defense forces have blocked the streets, and the once bustling commercial districts are now deserted, with only neon lights and advertising screens flashing in front of the empty streets.

The silver giant knight held a still-dripping head in his hand. The shattered ground and the Silver Spear Pegasus lying by the roadside, unable to move, signaled that the Securities and Futures Commission's plan had completely failed.

The Business Federation and the Securities and Exchange Commission each held their own opinions and wanted to deal with Lottin in the way that was most advantageous to themselves, which resulted in almost all of Lottin's high-end combat forces, except for its fleet, being defeated one by one.

Only the city defense troops remained at the gate of the National Assembly, making a final stand. Under the illumination of countless searchlights, a head, trailing a trail of blood, rolled to the feet of a heavily armored soldier with a shield. The searchlight on his helmet revealed a terrifying face.

That was the head of Ioleta Russell, the Grand Master of the Grand Knights and the master of the Silver Spear and Pegasus.

The searchlight followed the trail of blood on the ground and focused on a tall knight. An inhuman pressure slowly emanated from him.

“Make my existence public, and I will forgive and forget what the Business Federation and the Securities and Futures Commission have done.”

Beneath the giant knight's black visor stripes, his cold gaze was unfathomable to everyone. He had indeed proposed more amicable solutions that would be bloodless, costless, and even allow the Securities and Futures Commission to gain prestige in front of the Business Federation.

The censors are sincere, but not much. If they simply didn't want [Knight of Light Nautilus] to regain his influence, that would be one thing. But first, they took advantage of the Merchants' Federation's hostility to make underhanded moves against him, and then they tried to use some petty benefits to coax Lotin into becoming a bargaining chip to put pressure on the Merchants' Federation.

Their plan was thwarted, and they adopted the same attitude as the Business Federation: since they couldn't control it, they would expel and eliminate it. If everyone were like Waterdrop Village, wouldn't that be a win-win situation for everyone?

Therefore, they lost the elite main force of the Grand Knights.

For Lotin, the tithe serves two crucial purposes: first, to acquire skin shards; and second, to obtain mana potions that have been removed from the shop, with a very small chance of acquiring several older versions of elixirs.

Most of the National Assembly members were puppets supported by the Supervisory Commission and the Federation of Commerce. They had no idea what was going on and could only nod obsequiously out of instinctive fear.

The [Light Knight Nautilus] skin itself wasn't particularly frightening, but the rolling head of the Grand Knight changed that. The more sacred and solemn [Light Knight Nautilus]'s appearance appeared, the more chilling the fear it evoked.

"But you still haven't told me who you are."

One of the lawmakers, recovering from his initial shock, had his collar soaked with cold sweat as he tried to address the biggest obstacle to the current dialogue between the two sides.

"Nautilus, the Knight of Light, protector and judge of ancient Kazimierz."

"The scorching death ray will burn all enemies, protect those who pay tithes, and strike down arrogant and disrespectful foes."

Laurentina excitedly delivered the speech she had been rehearsing repeatedly on the way.

"The Business Federation has turned its back on history and is trying to fight him with its weak shortbows and daggers, but its weapons have already been broken."

"The censors are all smiles and hide daggers, trying to gain Nautilus's trust by using ancient traditions, but in reality they are doing despicable things that violate the name of knights, and these blind silver-lanced wingmen have already fallen in the Great Knights' Territory."

No one dared to question the veracity of Sister Agor's words. If it weren't for the fact that the Grand Knight's head was still lying quietly on the ground, they would have thought that this Agor was a complete idiot and madman.

“What you have done has exhausted Nautilus’s mercy and patience.”

"You have lost the right to communicate and negotiate again. Accept this outcome, and Nautilus will forgive and forget your past actions."

The most radical faction of the Oversight Council members was attempting to contact the patrolling Kazimierz fleet, but his actions were discovered by Skadi, resulting in a nauseating shower of blood under the searchlights.

The lawmakers made phone calls to larger media companies, pleading with them to restore the broadcast and television signals from the Great Knights Territory.

Whether it was out of a desire to buy time or because the Shadow Guards were genuinely afraid and gave in, the broadcast and television signals of the Great Knights Territory have been restored.

Those who knew that the extra power of the Lotin skin came from the knowledge of the Kazimierz people had all died in the chaotic battle in front of the arena.

They had no idea what it meant to reintroduce the concept of "Nottirus, the Knight of Light" to a large number of Casimirians.

As long as Lothing remains in the territory of Kazimierz with the skin "Light Knight Nautilus," this skin will exert a terrifying home-field advantage, and a fleet will not be enough to threaten him during the duration of Lothing's gigantic form.

While the "honor points" converted from the awe of a single Kazimierzstan are indeed small, the sheer number of Kazimierzstans allows it to provide tithe collection efficiency comparable to the default skin.

"The TV signal has been restored."

A flash of light on the hotel's television screen caught Amiya's attention. The live broadcast wasn't the ongoing knightly tournament celebration, but rather the giant who had once protected her atop the tower in Chernobog announcing his return inside the National Assembly.

"They defeated the Silver Spear Pegasus?"

"The Grand Knight Commander is on trial?"

A deluge of information overwhelmed Amiya's mind. She had no idea what had happened, nor did she know that the old knight who had previously contacted her and the Doctor was now dead.

"Doctor, could it be that Mr. Nautilus did all of this?"

"why?"

Amiya simply couldn't reconcile the reality of what she saw on TV with the "Nautilus" who could chat with all sorts of operators on Rhodes Island.

Even at this moment, she felt fear and unease.

“Only Mr. Nautilus could do those things.”

"Unfortunately, the other party did not know how to deal with Mr. Nautilus."

The doctor simply shook his head with a hint of regret. How could someone try to trick him into using his power without offering an equal tithe?

If they can't fool people, they try to eliminate and eradicate them.

What arrogance and haughtiness!

There were countless ways to make him the most reliable ally, but Kazimierz chose the most foolish one.

Waterdrop Village, Rhodes Island, and Lungmen are all ready-made positive examples.

“It’s alright, Amiya. Even without troubling Mr. Nautilus, our project will only go more smoothly.”

The Doctor gave Amiya a confident smile. She wasn't surprised by the outcome. After spending time with Rhodes Island and Chernobog, she had a good understanding of Lotin's style of doing things.

Amiya chose to believe the doctor.

The doctor knew very well that both the SEC and the Business Federation needed a sufficiently glamorous project to appease and divert public attention, which would only make Rhode Island's joint treatment project easier to carry out.

Chapter 90: The Radiant Knight

Loting asked Laurentina to stop the other party from committing suicide for a simple reason: this master actually wanted to use suicide to prevent Loting from achieving his goal, thinking that if he died, he would not have to accept the conditions proposed by Loting, and that this would make it difficult for Loting and his group to "dirty their hands".

Therefore, Lotin had Laurentina kill the other party.

He was pointlessly breaking through defenses and giving up, which was like trying to disgust him even when he was about to die.

She didn't know that Lotin didn't care that in the end, he would leave a more terrifying infamy in the hearts of the Kazimierz people. This would still provide honor points and the same chance to win prizes.

For example, like now.

The Kazimierz who first witnessed Lottin in the arena and the Kazimierz who saw Lottin through the media and was ready to verify it had a chemistry; the latter's questions were answered by the former.

The remains of the Silver Spear Pegasus and the head of the Grand Knight further reinforced the shocking facts that the people of Kazimierz themselves believed.

One of the Giant Knight and the dead Silver Spear Pegasus must be real.

Some say he is a monster who crushed Kazimierz's silver spear, Pegasus.