Castle of Black Iron

This day, the Seventh National Male Middle School was much more boisterous than ever before. Although it was still summer holidays, the amount of people who poured into school today was several times larger than normally. Upon hearing the rumors about the duel, everybody surged into the school in the afternoon, including Zhang Tie’s classmates, male and female students from other schools who had attended the survival training, and others from all walks of lives.

The Seventh National Male Middle School in Blackhot City was a sea of people. Not only the playgrounds where Zhang Tie would duel with Sodor, even the corridors in the teaching buildings were crowded.

Barley and the other members of the Hit-Plane Brotherhood had come, as well as 64 brothers of Gods Bliss Association whom Zhang Tie had cheated in the mine, Pandora, Alice, Beverly, and roughly 1000 female students from two female middle schools and teachers from several schools.

This duel was the first public duel in Blackhot City in the last dozens of years, also the first duel after Blackhot City was incorporated into the Norman Empire.

Events like duels could arise many people’s curiosities, let alone it happening so close to them. So nobody wanted to miss it.

Because the school was too populous, the Military Administration of Blackhot City dispatched several groups of soldiers here to preserve the order in case of riots.

As for the duel itself, even the Military Administration of Blackhot City had no right to interfere with it. Additionally, they had to ensure that it went on under the premise of openness and justice.

Compared to the Andaman Alliance which forbade duels, they were a very sacred and solemn ceremony in the Norman Empire. All the legitimate duels would be protected by the laws of the empire. As for duels for revenge between blood-tied members of two families based on barbarous survival training’s rules, they were forbidden to be interfered by others.

From the school gate inward, the soldiers in dark red military uniforms and armors, with weapons in hands, stood in every corner of the campus, which gave this duel an air of solemness and dignity.

Although many people had gathered in the campus, nobody shouted loudly. They were just sharing their opinions about its outcome and how it would proceed. As for the cause of this duel, over 1000 people had heard it when Garner and Sharon poured out the whole story when they saw that Zhang Tie had broken Zuhair’s neck in the canteen—Zuhair was the one who had thought up the conspiracy to kill Zhang Tie. The latter then killed Zuhair to repay him with the same. As to killing a person that planned to dispose of you by sick means, there was nothing wrong with getting back at him without kindness.

Since Zuhair’s death was not worth pity at all, when his elder brother Sodor appeared at school, what waited for him were whispers and hisses.

The only thing that made people curious was how could Glaze disappear in the survival training. Many people speculated that he had encountered Zhang Tie somewhere, and then was killed. As Zhang Tie had not admitted to this particular murder, this speculation lacked good foundations.

Additionally, Zhang Tie was only a LV 2 warrior in many people’s eyes, so how could he kill Glaze who was already LV 3? Someone then thought of Zhang Tie’s legendary lance throwing skills. If he used them, it was possible that he might have killed Glaze.

If Zhang Tie’s lance throwing was truly as great as rumored, then even if he was only a LV 2 warrior, he could still easily kill a LV 3 one. If a lance fell from the sky, making a hole in his chest, Glaze would also have been killed, even if he was as strong and agile as a LV 3 warrior. Before such a powerful throwing weapon, there was no chance for him to be resist.

However, in today’s duel, Zhang Tie was forbidden to use lances or any other throwing weapons. Zuhair’s elder brother was already a LV 4 warrior. If Zhang Tie, a fresh graduate who was LV 2—at most LV 3—who had just completed the survival training had to fight against him, was there a chance for him to win?

When Sodor appeared, he was holding his weapon - an upgraded standard-issue spear produced in Blackhot City. It was over two meters in length and made completely out of steel. Its head was heavier in weight and greater in diameter than of average standard spears. It weighted more than 30 kg. A LV 4 warrior not using a long sword but such a heavy long-handled weapon to fight a fresh graduate—it seemed that Sodor planned to be extremely shameless.

As for a LV 2, even a LV 3 graduate, no matter what weapon he chose, long or short, if he had to face a LV 4 warrior with long-handled weapon in hand, he would be killed before even getting close to his opponent. This was the advantage of weapons with long handles. Even if the weapon was one inch longer, it would be more powerful. On the premise that there was a great gap in fighting force between the two parties, the advantage of long-handled weapons was very decisive.

Many people saw through Sodor’s plans. So when he took his long spear and stood on the high platform with his arms crossed, the hisses from the surroundings became louder.

The two brothers of Zuhair’s family were each more shameless than the other.

Not influenced by the crowd’s reaction, Sodor revealed a shadow of a cold smile on his face. He raised his head and looked at the sun, waiting for the beginning of the duel.

The duels of the Norman Empire were usually fixed at 2:00 pm. It shouldn’t be too early or too late. This was the decree of the Norman Empire which was said to have been borrowed from eastern wisdom.

Because the sun was hanging high in the sky at this time of day, and was also the brightest, it had the most abundant yang Qi of the day. Additionally, people killed at this time would not form wronged ghosts while the killer would not get entangled with wronged ghosts. Therefore, this time was suitable for duels and executing criminals.

Seeing Sodor’s confident look, many people who cared about Zhang Tie started to worry about him, such as those members of Gods Bliss Association who didn’t know about Zhang Tie’s recent change in status.

"Do you think Zhang Tie will be okay this time?" Potter the fire holder asked Francis in a low voice with an expression of full concerns. They were both standing on a high platform occupied by the members of Gods Bliss Association,

"The enlightened one will be okay. Don’t forget that he has been blessed by the Big Blessing Skill!" Francis replied in a low voice too.

They then whispered to each other among the crowd of Gods Bliss Association, not afraid of being overhead by the surrounding people. "It’s said that many brothers have already sensed a bit of the effect of the Big Blessing Skill. What’s that feeling?"

"I don’t know whether it’s the effect of Big Blessing Skill or not, but many brothers have felt increasingly more relaxed recently. They always feel like they’re filled with a sense of pleasure. I’ve two similar experiences too!" Potter whispered.

"That’s right. We should have confidence in the one that has enlightened us!"

The son of a gardener in Blackhot City nodded with great force, a sense of sacredness in his eyes. Martyr, as his appellation, had brought him an unprecedented sense of holiness. Other people couldn’t sense it. However, Francis could. Seemingly after obtaining this appellation, he had gradually lost his feeling of inferiority and narrow-mindedness. He started to treat the misfortunes and bitterness of daily life in a different way. Having benefited from this, he became even more positive and compromising.

Only after being back home for several days, his family members had already felt his changes. After returning, whether being beaten or sworn at by his drunken father, Francis didn’t rebut anymore. Neither did he glare at his father. Instead, he silently bore it all, exerting all his efforts to be a responsible son.

An unprecedented sensation had arisen in Francis’s heart. He found that when one decided to be a ’martyr’, he would not consider himself anymore, instead, he would only consider others. In his heart, a wholly new and glamorous self gradually appeared.

On the evening four days ago, his dad had come back home very late after drinking a lot of alcohol. If it was before, Francis would have quarreled with his dad, loudly. However, this time he didn’t. He just calmly stayed at home like an ’innocent son’.

When his dad knocked on the door, Francis opened it and helped his dad walk in. He then started to clean off the vomit from his dad’s clothes. After that, he washed his dad’s face and cleaned his body before feeding him with the sobering soup. Afterwards, he took the supper back to the dining table. Although he was repaid by his drunk dad punching him in the face, Francis didn’t have any response, instead, he continued to be that ’innocent son without any private thoughts’.

Finally, when he started to wash his dad’s feet, a tear suddenly rolled down his father’s cheek, his eyes fixated on him. From that day onward, his dad seemed like a completely different person. He didn’t even drink a drop of alcohol anymore.

Each time he wanted to drink, he would sip a mouthful of vinegar. As a result, Francis’ family had already started to change.

He owed all the changes to the effect of becoming a sacred ’martyr’ upon joining that divine ceremony. Francis felt that he had already understood a bit about the secret of being a ’martyr’...

Sodor, on the duel platform urged those teachers who acted as notaries to call Zhang Tie out. However, Zhang Tie didn’t show himself.

About ten minutes before the duel was to start, when the masses had already decided that Zhang Tie did not dare not to come and were whispering to each other about it, Zhang Tie finally arrived.

Nobody could have imagined the way he would present himself...

Hiss arrival caused chaos to break out in the campus...

In a valiant second lieutenant’s combat suit of the Norman Empire, Zhang Tie appeared outside the school gate on the top of a wheeled armored vehicle, followed by dozens of military vehicles full of soldiers from the Iron-Blood Camp. These military vehicles drove directly through the school’s gate and stopped in front of the duel platform in the playgrounds.

Many people immediately recognized that the arrogant person dressed as a second lieutenant sitting on top of an armored vehicle of the Norman Empire was the protagonist of today’s duel -

Zhang Tie!

Then, all the onlookers became dumbfounded, and the entire campus became quiet at once...