Chapter 102 One Move Decides Victory or Defeat
As for Anne, Hanks was quite dismissive. Although there were plenty of female soldiers, according to Candy, Anne used to be just an ordinary woman who stayed home doing accounts and admiring flowers—how could she possibly have the skills to lead troops!
Besides, she was Holden's ex-wife. A woman who'd been dumped coming to the battlefield—wasn't she just trying to win back her ex-husband? Hanks absolutely couldn't let her compete with Candy for their man!
With him taking the lead, most of the Dawn Knight Order supported Candy. As fellow soldiers, and with her position as knight commander, everyone hoped Candy could defeat Anne and become the first person to break the Ivy Knights' recruitment rules.
Only a small number of people who were fed up with Holden and Candy secretly prayed that Anne would win this match.
However, the other two knight orders felt differently, especially the Ivy Knights. They had witnessed Anne accepting challenges with their own eyes. Anyone who could join a knight order wasn't blind—they could tell the difference between a performance and a real fight. So they knew how strong Anne was, and how badly those who challenged her had lost.
Now hearing about the stakes between Anne and Candy, most people were thinking that once the eastern battlefield combat ended, the Dawn Knight Order would be down one knight commander.
Anne sensed the enthusiasm and anticipation around her. She smiled slightly and looked toward Friedel on the left side of the field.
As the officer currently in unified command of the eastern battlefield, Friedel was naturally present for this important duel. He stood coldly at the edge of the field, his eyes icy.
Metodi volunteered to referee. He looked around, confirmed both Anne and Candy were ready, and raised his hand for silence.
He quickly repeated the stakes of the duel. Both women nodded their acceptance. Metodi stepped back. "Begin."
Candy used a sword just like Anne, so when she saw Anne draw her sword, she couldn't help but sneer.
"The young lady of the Virlet family—don't end up crying for your mommy when you lose."
Candy gripped her sword, dressed in lightweight clothes and a leather vest instead of her usual armor, looking wild and beautiful.
In contrast, Anne hadn't changed clothes for this duel. She still wore her training armor, holding her sword in one hand, her gaze drifting toward the sidelines. This indifferent appearance stung Candy's eyes.
"Anne, your glory ends here." Candy gripped her sword and spoke provocatively to Anne. "Don't think that acting like you don't care now means no one will mind when you lose. If you dared to scheme your way into a knight commander position, you should have realized—that was your stupidest move!"
Anne looked toward Candy at the sound of her voice. Her hair was casually tied back, her armor stained with blood, looking completely disheveled—nothing like the Anne that Candy had seen at Titan Manor.
Back then, Anne wore expensive gowns and priceless jewelry, her hair perfectly styled, looking so beautiful it made Candy burn with jealousy. Behind Anne's back, Candy had cursed her, hoping Holden would abandon this proud noble lady, hoping Anne was as vicious inside as she was beautiful outside. Only then could Candy feel better about herself.
Later, when she learned of Holden and Anne's divorce, Candy was so delighted she nearly went mad.
But now Anne stood before her again, disheveled and completely different from before, yet still proud. Candy couldn't help wondering—what gave her the right?
Was it the difference in their class backgrounds, or the different people they could rely on?
Candy tightened her grip on her sword and charged forward unwillingly.
The surrounding knights saw Candy attack first, especially the Dawn Knight Order members, who loudly cheered for Knight Commander Candy.
Anne didn't speak the entire time. Her eyes just deepened slightly. Facing Candy's attack calmly, she twisted her body and dodged the fierce assault.
Holden stood nearby, watching the duel somewhat nervously. He had originally believed Candy would definitely win, but seeing Anne's demeanor, his heart pounded rapidly, as if something bad was about to happen.
No, he couldn't think like that! Holden clenched his fists, pushing down his unease. He believed in Candy, but she couldn't afford to lose. If she lost, she'd be kicked out of the knight order and stripped of all her achievements.
Then everything would be finished!
Thinking this, he saw Anne flash behind Candy with her sword and couldn't help shouting, "Watch your back!"
Candy spun around to block, but Anne's sword was faster. Blood streaked across Candy's back—a shallow cut, and only because Anne had held back.
The blood feud between her and Candy constantly reminded Anne that with just one thrust of her sword, Candy would die and her revenge would be complete.
But Anne couldn't.
Her sword was just a bit away from piercing into Candy's body, tearing up her internal organs, letting Candy die in tremendous pain. But reason kept pulling at Anne's hand, including Friedel at the edge of the training ground—those eyes watching her calmly were also reminding Anne not to do anything foolish.
Anne bit her lip. The hand gripping the sword flipped upward, breaking Candy's desperate blocking motion, then backhanded and struck Candy's wrist hard with the sword hilt. Her sword-gripping hand immediately lost strength, letting the sword fall straight down.
"Oh no!"
Candy grabbed for the sword with her left hand, but Anne was quicker. She stepped in close and whispered, "You've lost."
Candy's eyes widened involuntarily.
Her abdomen suddenly hurt. Something hard like a sword hilt struck Candy forcefully, making her stagger back several steps. When she looked up again, Anne's sword was already at her neck.
Anne looked at her coldly. "Ready to admit defeat?"
Candy immediately got angry. "You cheated! You just sneak-attacked me with something else!"
"I just used the sword hilt. If you don't believe me, ask the people around. If I didn't use the hilt, would you rather I'd run you through with the blade?"
"You!"
Candy crouched down to pick up her sword. "That was you using tricks, not my real skill. Let's go again!"
Anne shrugged. Candy could try a hundred times—she'd never win. As Candy charged again with wild swings, Anne dodged easily, flicked her wrist to strike Candy's hand with the sword hilt, and kicked her behind the knee as her weapon clattered away.