"You!"
"Horse fight! Horse fight! Horse fight! Horse fight!" Count Caspar's knights shouted in unison.
"Cheater! Cheater! Cheater! Cheater!" But the audience's boos quickly drowned them out.
Count Caspar was clearly feeling guilty, but he still forced himself to keep up appearances, refusing to back down.
Yilin gritted her teeth but was helpless.
"Um..." Gray, still standing on the "tombstone," raised his hand and asked, "Can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"If I agree to a horse fight, can you send all your knights out to fight me at once?"
"All of them..." Yilin was momentarily stunned.
"All of them? Are you saying everyone left, all at once?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I'm afraid you might not fight later, and I might not have enough to reach fifty." Gray said seriously.
"May the gods bless you! Brave knight, your request is granted!" Count Caspar was instantly ecstatic.
"Are you insane?" Yilin lost it instantly. "You want to challenge forty-eight knights at the same time?"
"What, I can't?" Gray asked, looking aggrieved. He just wanted a knight title, that's all. He was really worried about any mishaps. After all, this lord didn't seem particularly trustworthy.
"You're asking me if you can? Do you think losing wouldn't be fast enough for me?" At this moment, Yilin had completely dropped her pretense; she was just short of walking up and slapping Gray in the face.
"Hey, hey, hey, niece, how do you know he's definitely going to lose? Your knight is so brave, shouldn't you feel proud? By the Holy Spirit, how can you stop him from showing off his valor?" Count Caspar could barely hold back his laughter.
"All at once! All at once! All at once! All at once!" The crowd, eager for more chaos, erupted into cheers again.
"As a lord, one must learn to listen to the voice of the people." Caspar smiled as he said this.
In wave after wave of cheers, Yilin could only huff and sit back in her chair.
Huoersi was dumbfounded. He turned back quickly and shouted at Pas, "Is your friend out of his mind?"
"Yes." Pas answered without hesitation. Honestly, he thought so too.
This left Huoersi even more dumbfounded. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop the situation from escalating further.
"All knights, into the arena!" the announcer shouted loudly.
In no time, forty-eight knights, all mounted on warhorses, appeared in the field. The sheer number was overwhelming—it looked like an entire cavalry unit. Was this still a duel?
The once-spacious arena now looked a little crowded.
The spectators were thrilled, while Yilin, Huoersi, and Abi Robbs were all on edge.
Would a miracle happen? Could two miracles happen in one day?
Gray leisurely climbed down from the top of the "tombstone," unbuckled the iron chain tied around him, and dusted off the dirt from his clothes.
Meanwhile, it took more than ten people working together to drag the screaming Bone Horse out from the corner and push it into the field.
Walking up to the Bone Horse, Gray gently stroked its back and whispered a few words into its ear before the horse gradually calmed down.
Mounted on the horse, Gray swayed as he rode to the center of the field. In his hand, he held only a cheap-looking longsword, without even a shield.
The one-versus-forty-eight fight was about to begin. Across from him, the knights were rubbing their palms together, eager to fight.
Huoersi hesitated, wondering if he should offer Gray his lance and shield.
"Gray! Gray! Gray! Gray!" Gray's name finally leaked out through the mercenary group, and the audience finally had a name to cheer for.
Gray raised his longsword high, instantly pushing the atmosphere to its peak.
Lances were raised, and Count Caspar's knights quickly formed up into formation. Forty-eight lances charging simultaneously meant there was no space left for Gray to dodge.
However, the audience did not see it that way. They believed this god-like, mysterious knight must have a way to counter it. Otherwise, he would never have stepped up to propose such a duel.
With the announcer's loud call, the final match officially began.
Gray was the first to charge, his speed like a gust of wind. Holding up his longsword, he slashed straight at the lead knight!
Everything happened so quickly that neither the opponents nor the spectators had time to react.
And then, something utterly unexpected occurred. Gray's sword flew out of his hand. Yes, because the opponent's armor was too hard and Gray didn't hold on properly, the sword bounced right out of his grip, spinning a few times in the air before landing not far behind him.
The astonishment that had been on the verge of erupting from the audience was choked back. Everyone widened their eyes, watching silently.
Watching as Gray rode his horse in a circle to where the sword landed, then hesitated.
"What's he doing?" someone among the opponents asked quietly.
"He... his sword fell, and his arms are too short to pick it up."
"Can't pick it up?"
"Right. He can't dismount; dismounting counts as a loss. So now he's without a weapon!"
Count Caspar's knights erupted in cheers.
The audience was dumbfounded.
Yilin's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
As for Huoersi, he was furious. His face twitched uncontrollably.
Pas covered his face with both hands; he couldn't bear to watch any longer.
What the hell is this? Lost just like that?
The entire square fell silent.
The sudden turn of events left even Count Caspar stunned. Finally breathing a sigh of relief, he wiped the sweat from his brow and shouted loudly, "Alright, end this farce! My knights!"