“Her Highness the Princess has arrived, but where is Winnie? Could it be that we’ve been fooled?” After paying their respects to the Princess, the two knights seated themselves at a distance, one of them whispering softly.

“Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare to stand us up. Her Highness is already aware of this matter. If Winnie fails to show, it’s his reputation that will suffer,” the other knight chuckled.

After a long while.

“Hah, as expected. Did I perhaps expect too much from him?” Seeing that there was still no movement at the entrance after so long, the knight sneered coldly.

“I thought he at least had the courage to take a beating, but it seems he’d rather be a no-show coward.”

“That’s just how weaklings who talk big but can’t back it up are. How could he possibly have the guts? Showing up would mean taking a beating and losing face in front of Her Highness. Tsk tsk, it’s better to just not show up.”

Just then, a heavy set of footsteps accompanied by the clanking of armor echoed through the quiet arena, growing louder as they approached.

“Huh? It seems someone’s coming from the entrance.”

“Really? Is it that bastard?” The two knights looked towards the entrance in disbelief.

On the other side, Mirexia and Aesphyra reacted similarly.

Mirexia frowned slightly, while Aesphyra slowly straightened her posture.

This duel had also happened in her previous life, but the timing was completely off.

Still, the outcome was likely the same, that scoundrel must have somehow gotten the Dark Soul Armament early.

Aesphyra narrowed her beautiful eyes, a faint hint of killing intent flickering within them.

When the figure emerged from the entrance and came into view, her gaze instantly turned to one of astonishment.

Not just her, everyone present wore expressions of disbelief.

“Sorry about that, I stopped to buy something on the way, so I’m late,” said the figure clad in scaly steel armor, wearing a fully enclosed helmet and carrying a two-meter-long flag-bearing spear.

He waved towards the two on the viewing platform.

“….Who are you?” After a moment of silence, one of the knights couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s only been a few days, and you don’t recognize me?” The armored figure tilted his head, then dispelled the Soul Armament.

“Winnie?!” The two knights were utterly shocked as they looked at the blue-haired young man with shoulder-length hair in the arena.

To be honest, Winnie wasn’t bad-looking, but the freckles and poor skin quality on his face greatly dragged down his appearance.

“Oh, so you do recognize me?” Winnie smiled warmly, shifting his gaze to Mirexia and Aesphyra.

Well, well, what a day!

Two members of the main cast have graced us with their presence.

Including that great plague, Aesphyra.

Tsk…

Seeing Aesphyra, Winnie felt a mix of wariness and nervousness, but upon noticing Mirexia sitting beside her, he relaxed a bit.

Aesphyra probably wouldn’t openly attack him without reason in front of Mirexia.

Looking at the two on the viewing platform, Winnie understood what was going on.

Hah, it must be that scoundrel Charon who secretly tipped them off, hoping to make me lose face in front of Mirexia.

Since Aesphyra was also here, she must have come along.

Tsk tsk, calling him a villain isn’t wrong.

But this works out perfectly, because Winnie isn’t afraid of losing face.

Come on, let’s see who’s less afraid of embarrassment.

Winnie bowed, performing a respectful courtly bow to Mirexia, not asking why she was here.

Mirexia was somewhat surprised.

This gesture, while polite, carried more of a sense of distance.

Winnie of the past would never have done such a thing.

“Hey, remember what you promised me. If I win, forty gold coins, not a single one less, alright?” Winnie deliberately raised his voice so that Mirexia and Aesphyra could hear, preventing them from playing dumb later.

“Of course, we won’t shortchange you,” one of the knights replied, giving his companion a strange look.

“Hey, did that loser just use a Soul Armament? An armor-type Soul Armament?”

“I don’t know, I’ve hardly ever seen armor-type Soul Armaments. What’s this one called? It feels somewhat familiar.”

“Whatever, no matter how strange it is, it’s definitely a one-star Soul Armament,” the knight confidently looked at the apprentice squire they had chosen.

“This squire’s Soul Armament is the two-star [Bow Arm], and he’s also received knight training. Winnie, that good-for-nothing young master, is just a beginner in Soul Armaments. Even if the Goddess of Graceful Radiance blessed him today, there’s no way he could win.”

With that, the knight waved to the squire, signaling him not to be nervous.

Nervousness was inevitable, after all, this duel was being watched by Her Highness the Princess.

That’s Lady Mirexia, someone he would never have the chance to see in his lifetime!

But soon, the squire calmed himself, his gaze firmly locked on Winnie.

Compared to the two knights, Mirexia immediately recognized the Soul Armament Winnie was using, her thoughtful expression deepening.

As for Aesphyra, while her expression remained unchanged, her heart was in turmoil.

What’s going on??

Why didn’t Winnie absorb the Dark Soul Armament from his previous life??

Of course, Aesphyra recognized this Soul Armament, it would be strange if she didn’t.

If she remembered correctly, this Soul Armament should be an armor-type one called [Armour Fortress], once the main combat Soul Armament of the ancient Terraria Empire’s army.

And the royal family of the Terraria Empire was the Carillian family.

But this Soul Armament had long been phased out with the changing times and was now almost never seen.

Because it had a fatal flaw.

“Ah! I remember now,” the knight on the viewing platform suddenly exclaimed, finally recalling where he had seen this Soul Armament before.

In an illustrated guide.

“Oh? Is this Soul Armament powerful?”

“No, quite the opposite,” the knight smirked. “I truly didn’t expect him to be this foolish.”

“Even if he had no other Soul Armaments to choose from, he didn’t have to pick this ancient relic, right? How laughable.”

“Stop beating around the bush, what exactly is this Soul Armament?”

“If I recall correctly, it’s called [Armour Fortress], said to be the mainstream Soul Armament of knights during the ancient empire era. But that’s not the point. The point is that this Soul Armament was phased out hundreds of years ago.”

“Do you know why armor-type Soul Armaments that have survived to this day aren’t very popular?” the knight asked.

“Armor-type Soul Armaments? I’m not too sure about that.”

“Because most of the ancient armor-type Soul Armaments sacrificed agility to enhance physical defense.”

“This [Armour Fortress] Soul Armament is the absolute extreme of that, maximizing the sacrifice of agility to maximize physical defense.”

“Sounds impressive?”

“Impressive? This thing was only dominant in ancient times because skills back then were generally low-magic. As times progressed and more high-magic skills emerged, armor-type Soul Armaments, which lack magic defense, became obsolete. So, you get it now?”

“Oh, I see. No matter how high its physical defense is, against magic, it’s just a clumsy coffin, right?”

“Exactly. In today’s world where high-magic Soul Armaments and skills are everywhere, this thing is not only clumsy but also as fragile as paper. One magic blast, and both the person and the armor turn to dust.”

“Back then, the elite troops of the Terraria Empire, known as the [Spear of Terraria], were all equipped with [Armour Fortress]. But when a powerful mage cast a large-scale spell, the entire army, with their poor mobility, was wiped out without a single survivor.”

“Since then, the once-mighty [Armour Fortress] Soul Armament was completely relegated to the dustbin of history.”

“Every nation considers it trash. It only has some research value left, otherwise, it’s utterly worthless. Even a dog wouldn’t use it,” the knight said disdainfully.

“Pfft, hahaha, this must be the downside of not reading enough. That good-for-nothing young master seems completely clueless about this, huh?”