- Fantasy Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence
- FLDI Chapter 205
Thud!
A dull sound echoed as Michael’s body crashed to the ground. Struggling to regain his balance, the terrifying force still forced him to stagger backward.
With each step, a layer of light frost spread beneath his feet.
It wasn’t just the ground; cold air spread across his body as well. Only with the surge of his immense life force did he manage to push the frost back.
Michael’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It wasn’t just him—Chesire and Marshall also stared in shock, their faces frozen in astonishment.
By the gods, what had they just witnessed?
Michael, a peak Land Knight, had been pushed back by young Master Thor.
How could this be?
How could it happen?
Yet, it seemed to be happening right before their eyes.
Both of them instinctively glanced at Thor, then at Michael, unsure of what to say next.
Of course, Thor and Michael were oblivious to their shock.
Michael was still in a daze, while Thor raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t used his death aura, merely the chilling power of ice, but it was already enough to surpass the strength of a typical peak Land Knight. Michael should not have only staggered back a few steps—he should’ve been frozen in place for several breaths.
“Uncle Michael, it looks like you’re stronger than I thought,”
Thor said, a smile slowly returning to his face.
Hearing this, Michael twitched his lips in irritation, but a spark of understanding gradually lit up in his eyes.
“Again!”
He shouted, his voice firm. In the next moment, an immense wave of life force erupted from him as he charged at Thor with his knight’s greatsword raised.
The battle resumed swiftly.
Michael’s speed was fast, and his life force vast.
Clearly, he was far more than just a recent breakthrough into peak Land Knight—he was likely nearing the level of a Sky Knight, probably on par with Count Engel.
With such power, even among Land Knights, he was considered one of the strongest.
However, as the battle progressed, Michael was stunned once more.
He held nothing back, yet even so, he was being suppressed.
Thor was faster, his life force even more imposing, and what was even more terrifying was the freezing cold aura contained within Thor’s life force.
Even Michael was forced to fight with all his might, for one misstep and he too would be frozen.
It was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Thor, who had just broken through to Land Knight, should not possess such terrifying strength.
While Michael was in shock, Chesire and Marshall had already become numb to it all.
The two stared dumbfounded as the battle raged on.
“Chesire, come here!”
“Am I dreaming?”
Marshall mumbled, instinctively turning to Chesire.
But before he could finish speaking—
Bang!
His body was sent flying, crashing into a nearby artificial rock garden.
Crash!
The rocks collapsed. Chesire looked at his own hand, feeling the real sensation of the collision, before glancing at the distant battle. His expression was filled with confusion.
“This isn’t a dream…”
He muttered under his breath.
Spit, spit!
“Chesire, I didn’t mean for you to hit me for real!”
“Are you trying to kill me?”
Marshall yelled angrily, struggling to get up from the rubble, cursing as he did so.
“You must be in pain,”
Chesire muttered as he watched Marshall walk toward him with a grimace.
“Of course, it hurts!”
Marshall snapped, but midway through his words, his eyes suddenly widened as he turned to look at the battle again.
“It’s real!”
Marshall murmured in disbelief.
“Yes, this is real!”
Chesire nodded.
“Master Thor…”
Marshall started to speak again, but his words trailed off as he realized he had no words to fully express what they had witnessed.
There was no way to describe what had just happened.
Thor, having just broken through to Land Knight, was not only able to hold his ground against Michael, but even had the upper hand. Michael had already reached the peak of Land Knight!
“It seems we’ve all underestimated Master Thor. Now I understand why that lecturer from Canaan Academy decided to stay in the Eagle’s Territory.”
Chesire sighed, a trace of resignation in his voice.
“True enough.”
Marshall replied, his expression heavy with thought.
Clearly, both had come to the same realization.
However, neither of them was as shaken as Michael, who, in the midst of his clash with Thor, had a much clearer understanding of Thor’s strength.
In his perception, Thor’s life force was like a northern glacier—deep and unfathomable, yet unbearably cold.
Even with a brief exchange, Michael could feel his blood, and even his life force, beginning to freeze.
No—it wasn’t just “seeming” to freeze. It had already begun to crystallize.
If this continued, perhaps it wouldn’t be long before his entire being was completely frozen.
He had tried to break out, initially worried, but soon realized his concern was pointless. No matter how hard he tried to break free, Thor was more than capable of withstanding it.
Boom!
The two collided once more.
Michael’s life force surged again as he tried to generate heat to dispel the chill.
But the next moment, a layer of ice spread from beneath his feet, and his body froze in place.
Within seconds, he was completely encased in ice.
But the ice only lasted for an instant.
Crack!
A sharp, clear sound rang out as the ice shattered and fell apart. A torrent of heat erupted from Michael’s body, rapidly dispelling the cold.
Once the ice completely melted, Michael was left panting heavily.
After a brief moment, he stared at Thor in awe, a wry smile forming on his face.
“You truly are a monster, Master Thor,”
Michael spoke, his voice filled with both respect and disbelief.
He didn’t try to continue the battle, instead sighing in resignation.
The moment he had been frozen, he knew he had lost.
Even though he broke free quickly, the brief freeze was enough to convince him the battle was already decided.
Despite knowing this, Michael was still left speechless.
Peak Land Knight. How long has it been since his breakthrough?
At least ten years, perhaps?
His breakthrough into the Land Knight tier happened several decades ago.
He had always considered himself one of the strongest in the kingdom, and aside from Count Engel, he believed that no one at the Land Knight level could defeat him.
Yet, now he was facing Thor, and he was effortlessly defeated.
Yes, effortlessly.
Thor’s aura had already stabilized. His face wasn’t flushed, and it was clear that the battle had cost him very little.
This outcome left Michael at a loss for words.
Of course, Michael didn’t know that Thor was not even using his full power. To be more precise, during their battle, Thor hadn’t even exerted himself completely.
If Thor had used his full strength, mixing his death aura with the freezing chill…
Michael wouldn’t just be slightly winded; he’d probably be in danger of being killed.
But of course, Thor wasn’t going to mention that. Otherwise, it might be seen as a little disrespectful.
“Uncle Michael, how do you think my strength compares?”
Thor asked with a smile, his voice calm.
“Do you think there’s a way to deal with it?”
“Naturally, it’s more than enough!”
Michael replied after a deep breath, his voice growing more serious.
“Your strength is likely on par with some of the weaker Sky Knights. As for the Land Knight tier… I can’t say for the entire continent, but in the Tulip Kingdom, I can’t think of anyone who could match you.”
“As for dealing with the situation, it shouldn’t be a problem. Even without Lord Neil, with the two of us, we should be able to secure at least fifty percent of the assets for now.”
Michael inhaled deeply, and then spoke with a complicated expression.
“Only fifty percent?”
Thor raised an eyebrow, surprised. He hadn’t expected that his current strength could only guarantee fifty percent.
“Yes, fifty percent!”
Michael replied.
“You don’t understand the nobility of the Tulip Kingdom very well. Among the top ten powerful marquises, almost all of them have Sky Knights. Especially the top three families, who are rumored to have several Sky Knights at their disposal. Things were better before when the Northern Province was under the domain of Marquis Lehmann. With the three great marquises’ heirs involved, the other noble heirs didn’t have much room to act.”
“But now that the North is expanding, other powerful nobles will inevitably move into the region. The forces they’ve invested now are far stronger than before. The three great marquises’ heirs haven’t yet made their move. The key moment will come when they do. If you want to secure more, you’ll have to hope they don’t place all their heirs in the Northern Province. If they do, you may not even be able to secure fifty percent, at most thirty.”
Michael nodded seriously.
“I understand.”
“However, they haven’t moved yet. By the time they do, there may not be another opportunity.”
Thor nodded, but a smile spread across his face.
The three great noble heirs had yet to make a move. Thor wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t need to know the reason.
For them, they might still be calculating, or waiting.
But for Thor, the longer they waited, the smaller their chances would become.
From being an apprentice knight to reaching this point, it had taken him less than two years.
It wouldn’t take long. In just a few months, he would be able to reach the next level.
Right now, he couldn’t match a Sky Knight, but once he broke through to mid-tier Land Knight, it was hard to say.
As for flight, he couldn’t fly yet.
But the Rune Marks weren’t just for decoration.
As long as he could further harness the power of his marks, combined with his strength at mid-tier Land Knight, he might even be able to fight against a Sky Knight.
No matter how strong the three noble families were, how many Land Knights they could deploy—three? Five? Ten?
It didn’t matter. As long as they weren’t Sky Knights, he had a way to deal with them.
And as for Sky Knights, even the three great marquises wouldn’t have too many. They wouldn’t risk sending them to the heirs of the noble families.
Moreover, the timing of their arrival would be crucial.
By then, Thor would have already subdued the other powerful noble heirs. Even if three more Sky Knights arrived, it wouldn’t matter.
“Master Thor, your strength is impressive. But the three great marquises’ heirs who are heading north will likely each bring at least two peak Land Knights. With our current strength, we could probably handle one of their families, but resisting all three… that would be nearly impossible.”
“However, it’s also unlikely they’ll all head for the Northern Province. Their target isn’t just barons, but viscounts, even earls or marquises. Their main goal is likely the northern borders, where there are enough merit points to be gained.”
Thor smiled, but Michael was a bit puzzled. He paused for a moment, then spoke up.
“I understand.”
“Then, I’ll leave this period to you, Uncle Michael.”
Thor nodded with a smile.
Afterward, he discussed a few matters with the still-shocked Chesire and Marshall before returning to the castle.
As they watched Thor leave, the three of them couldn’t help but feel their hearts racing.
For a moment, none of them knew what to say.
“Master Thor’s strength… he might already be the strongest in the entire Tulip Kingdom.”
Chesire murmured, his eyes gleaming with uncertainty.
“Maybe it really is possible…”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s still too early. Prepare yourselves. Things won’t stay peaceful for long.”
“Chesire, finish the cleanup as soon as possible!”
“Marshall, come with me. We need to train the Eagle Knights. We must ensure we have enough combat power.”
Michael inhaled deeply, then shook his head as he spoke in a deep voice.
He could already foresee the upcoming turmoil in the entire territory. He had to be prepared. That was his duty as Michael.
“I understand.”
“Yes!”
Both of them nodded, and the three of them immediately sprang into action.
At the same time, Thor, who had just returned, received a message from Steve.
The first wave of powerful noble heirs’ exploration squads had already arrived in the western region.
Additionally, reports had come in from various resource points in the West, stating that unknown knights had been spotted nearby.
Clearly, the noble heirs had already begun taking action.
(End of Chapter)