I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

Edward stopped, put Jasmine down, one hand hovering near his sword, the other on his chest. "In the name of the Holy Dome, we meet again, Your Excellency."

"I heard you're the strongest demon-slaying knight of the younger generation." The boy ripped off his cloak and threw it in front of Edward.

Edward's expression changed. "Your Excellency, perhaps you are unaware that in the Empire, throwing out a cloak is a symbol of a Demon Knight initiating a duel."

"I know, so come on, I want to challenge you, right now." The boy's fighting spirit was inexplicably high.

“Well… I have official duties to attend to, and this isn’t a suitable place for fighting. How about we postpone it to another day?” Edward hesitated.

“No, according to the rules, you must fight me once I lose my cloak, unless you really have something more urgent to do, or are you planning to admit defeat?” The young man looked relaxed as he drew his black longsword and twirled it.

"Are you serious? We are not responsible for injuries or deaths in duels between Demon Knights." Edward's expression turned serious.

"Of course I'm serious." The boy held his longsword level and pointed it at him.

"And what about your familiar, sir?" Edward had no choice but to draw his sword and assume a fighting stance.

Jasmine floated up behind him, hugged his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and lowered her eyes.

"I can manage on my own," the boy shrugged.

"Are you sure? Since this is a formal duel, I won't hold back. It's not too late to back out now." Edward frowned.

"Are you sure? If you don't make a move, I won't be polite."

In Edward's eyes, the boy's expression could be described as arrogant. Did he really think he could defeat him with swordsmanship without a familiar? That was simply a pipe dream.

"Since you insist on doing it this way, then so be it," Edward shook his head.

Without needing to communicate, runes lit up Jasmine's palm, and a faint golden light was added to his sword and body, making him seem as if he were bathed in dazzling sunlight.

The next second, the boy not far away turned into a blur and disappeared from Edward's sight.

Wow, so fast!

……

On the other side, at the Lord's Mansion in Yongquan Town.

Soldiers in uniforms bearing the lord's coat of arms strolled leisurely past the wall, occasionally yawning.

The agile figure with the silver ponytail ran across the rooftop above him without making a sound.

Leia landed on the luxurious second-floor terrace, where, based on her investigations over several days, she learned that Edward lived in a nearby room.

The elven girl walked to the door and listened for a moment. She placed her slender hand on the tightly closed door, muttering incantations. A scorching heat emanated from her palm, melting the simple latch on the inside.

She pushed open the door with the slightest movement and went inside, then froze.

Inside was a spacious room with several beds that were obviously added temporarily. At this moment, a pair of demon knights and familiars lay asleep fully clothed on each bed, seemingly waiting for someone and ready to fight at any moment.

In the drowsy, quiet morning, with only faint snoring, no one noticed her unexpected arrival.

342. Cheng Fei believes the problem lies with Shen Xi.

Leia slowly backed away, onto the terrace, and then gradually closed the door.

During this time, the clumsy hinges made a slightly rough, scraping sound, which made the elf girl's heart jump into her throat. Fortunately, there was still no sound from inside the room.

She looked around, her expression resolute, and lightly hopped to another nearby terrace. This time, she burned a hole in the wooden door, peered inside, and then confidently opened the door and crawled in.

Not long after the elven girl left, a man got out of bed, shivered, and, still half-asleep, went the wrong way and pushed open the balcony door.

Something fell off the door, making a crisp sound on the ground. The man bent down and picked up a piece of iron from the ground, discovering that it was a melted bolt.

The man stared at the bolt with a furrowed brow, then after a moment, he snapped out of his daze and his expression suddenly changed...

News of Edward being challenged to a duel quickly reached the ears of his demon knights, who rushed from the inn to the central square without even having breakfast.

The center of the square has become a dangerous restricted area.

A blond youth engulfed in golden flames was locked in fierce combat with a black shadow moving with lightning speed. The sound of their swords clashing was deafening, and bright runes lit up out of thin air one after another, even distorting the air with invisible vibrations.

"He fought Lord Edward, who had unleashed the Flame of Oath, to a standstill. Could it be that he also possesses the strength of a Gold Badge?"

"Impossible. There aren't many Gold Badge Slayer Knights in the entire Elconis. Where did they come from in this remote and impoverished place?"

"Am I seeing things? That person doesn't seem to be carrying a familiar..."

"Are you still asleep? How could you be this fast without a lightness spell?"

"Looking closely, there really is no familiar. Something's not right..."

Edward's expression was extremely solemn.

He couldn't understand how he had gotten into a fierce battle with this boy named Cheng Fei.

Yes, it was a fierce battle.

Through achieving perfect harmony with his familiar, he mastered a unique magical technique. As a Gold-Badged Demon Knight, he managed to fight Cheng Fei, who was not accompanied by a familiar, to a draw even with the enhancement of his ultimate technique, Oath of Flame.

Each time the two clashed, the heavy impact made his hand holding the sword ache, and his opponent would launch new attacks from different angles without pause.

If it weren't for Jasmine, he would have been ambushed by her ghostly movements several times.

With a purely human body, he unleashes power and speed comparable to an elf. Is he still human?

If Cheng Fei didn't have pointed ears, and if male elves weren't usually weaker in combat, Edward would have suspected that this guy was actually an elf.

What Edward couldn't understand even more was that as the battle intensified, he felt a noticeable change in the boy. The battle lasted for more than ten minutes, and Cheng Fei's speed was a level higher than at the beginning, and the power he released was terrifying.

It felt as if this guy was using me as a practice subject.

Edward, who was known for his composure and calmness, felt a nameless anger rise in his heart.

What a joke! He can be suppressed even without a familiar? Could this boy be the current Sword Saint of Elkonis?

Edward's fighting spirit intensified, his sharp, eagle-like eyes fixed on the boy's movements, trying to catch the incredibly fast black longsword.

Forehand, backhand, upward slash, downward chop—the two men's weapons clashed violently with an aura of intent to cleave each other in two.

"Edward, calm down." Jasmine's ethereal voice rang in the blond youth's ears.

“I know…” Edward’s forehead was sweating, and he dared not be distracted for even a moment.

Meanwhile, Cheng Fei was studying his own abilities.

He tested it with a stopwatch. Normally, ten seconds would pass, but with [Agility·Time Zero] activated, he could silently count to fifty seconds, which means the flow of time was slowed down by about five times.

Now that the upper limit of combat is still increasing, the boy estimates that he has already reached ten times the slowdown.

Of course, the cost of using Zero at high intensity is not small. On the one hand, the emptiness caused by the rapid depletion of physical strength constantly erodes the boy's will. On the other hand, the physical impact on the body caused by the increased speed is equally serious. He suspects that if a person is not physically strong enough, he might get injured first when he activates Zero's high-speed movement.

Fortunately, the [Stamina - Rapid Recovery] skill made up for the first problem, and the 888 stamina attribute made up for the second problem.

Despite this, Cheng Fei still found it difficult to break through the perfect teamwork between Edward and Jasmine.

Just like when he fought Rhea, Edward's sword, after being enchanted, automatically became immune to the special blade of the dimensional separator.

Jasmine's magic had a short range, but it was enough to force Cheng Fei, who relied solely on speed to attack, to retreat.

It must be admitted that, at present, he alone can only fight to a draw with this so-called strongest demon knight of the younger generation in the empire.

The remaining Exorcist Knights of the Special Operations Fleet did not interfere with the two. According to the ancient code of chivalry, duels between Exorcist Knights are fair and sacred, and no one other than the duelists has the right to stop them.

The two clashed fiercely once again, and an invisible gust of wind swept in all directions. When runes lit up in Jasmine's palm, Cheng Fei took the lead and flew backward to avoid the shockwave formed by magic.

Edward was panting heavily, and Cheng Fei was almost the same; the two were locked in a sword standoff.

"Cheng Fei, Victoria Windsor... Who exactly are you? I've never heard of this name before," the blond youth said in a deep voice, his expression extremely solemn.

"Just a passing traveler, it would be strange if you'd heard of him." The young man glanced at the special operations fleet personnel who were completely drawn to him and calmed his breathing.

Just as the two were about to engage in a new round of battle, the sound of rapid hoofbeats grew louder as they approached.

An imperial soldier leaped off his horse, ran to Edward's side, and whispered something in his ear.

Cheng Fei had a bad feeling.

“Sorry, let’s call it a draw this time,” Edward suddenly said. “The elf, a wanted criminal by the Empire, has been captured, and I must go there as soon as possible to deal with him.”

"That silver-haired elf? She's been captured?" Cheng Fei asked in surprise.

“Yes, is there anything you want to say?” Edward stared intently at the boy.

"No, I'm glad your operation went smoothly." The boy shook his head without hesitation.

“Then,” Edward sheathed his sword and placed his hand on his chest, “please bring your familiar next time. Even if you lose, I want to witness your strength firsthand.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the commander of the special operations fleet quickly led his knights away from the central square.

Cheng Fei stood there and smacked his lips.

Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna walked up to the boy.

"You can't even beat one person?" Shen Xi's sneer was full of sarcasm.

"Teacher Shen, please note that we are tied."

"A draw means you can't win."

"Also, he and Jasmine are two different people, thank you."

"So what? The Demon Knight and the Familiar are one."

"If I had a familiar to help me fight, I could fight anytime. It's your fault for not hanging on my back."

"Shut up."

"Teacher Shen, please be conscientious and start practicing magic from now on."

"When you can't beat someone, you start shifting the blame onto me. Cheng Feiyu is truly shameless."

Nagasaki Asuna, with her hands behind her back, glanced at the two of them sideways. "Um, you two, shouldn't you focus on Leia's problem first?"

343. The three received a mission.

"Nana, is what that Saint Seiya guy said true or false? I can't help but suspect he's just using exhaustion as an excuse to avoid the fight." The boy remained calm.

"It doesn't feel like a lie, but why is it Saint Seiya?" Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head.

"Because when he fought, golden flames emanated from his body, didn't you see that?"

"That's enough, I'm going back to the workshop to read." Shen Xi turned and left.

"Teacher Shen, how can you be completely unconcerned that our new companions from another world are in danger?" Cheng Fei caught up with her.

"She was ungrateful and acted recklessly, throwing her life away. I have no sympathy for such a fool." Shen Xi raised her chin and continued walking.

"I never imagined that the Celestial Queen was not only cruel but also cold-blooded."

"Shut up. Even if you want to help her, what can you do now? I'm just making a rational judgment. If you're willing to sacrifice for her, I wouldn't mind challenging the entire special operations fleet right now."

"Not at all. Such impulsive and reckless actions are not my style. At the very least, I would take a roundabout approach."

"It's no surprise that you're timid and cowardly, and as hypocritical as ever. You're clearly walking back with me but you're pretending to want to help. Are you putting on an act for that vixen?" Shen Xi said coldly.

“Professor Shen, that’s slander. I just did my best to divert the enemy’s attention.”

"Anyway, you can always admit defeat and beg for mercy in a duel. If Leia succeeds, she should thank you. If she fails, you can just walk away. You're really shrewd and don't suffer any losses."

“Teacher Shen, she has nothing to do with me after all. If it were you, I would declare war on the entire empire on the spot.”

"I hope they don't just say nice things now, but also abandon me without hesitation when it's time to do so."

The boy and girl walked and talked without stopping, their conversation in a calm tone no different from casual chatter.

“You two.” Nagasaki Asuna followed beside them, letting out a heavy sigh, her expression conveying an indescribable sense of helplessness. “Are you really not planning to rescue Leia at all?”

"It's one thing for a vixen to pretend, but what relationship do you have with her?" Shen Xi sneered.

"It's true that we don't have much of a relationship, but we are still partners who have spent time together. Besides, apart from Cheng Fei's character having high value, it doesn't really matter if we die. It wouldn't hurt to try to rescue her, right?" Nagasaki Asuna blinked.

"I'm sorry, but I've already decided to seriously develop my character, so I refuse to take any risks." Shen Xi stared blankly into the air.

“Cheng Fei…” Nagasaki Asuna looked to the other side, biting her lip lightly.