The Grand Duke's Soulmate
Chapter 380: A Battle Against The Knights

Chapter 380: A Battle Against The Knights

The sky suddenly darkened, becoming as black as a heavy anvil. A mighty wind began to howl as if a storm was brewing.

The onlookers turned bewildered at the abrupt change in the climate—all except Callis, whose features were etched with fear. She alone seemed to understand what was happening... that Anna had somehow summoned her dormant powers.

She was bewildered by how the princess, believed to have had all her abilities bound from birth, could suddenly demand the return of such bizarre, powerful forces. How could this happen?

A blinding light suddenly shone from the heavens, descending upon Anna. The knights and the Mederian Princess quickly averted their gaze, shielding their eyes against the ethereal radiance.

The gusting wind threatened to sweep them off their feet, but they braced themselves against the ground. Sylvia, on the other hand, was overcome with fright. She crouched down onto the ground, hiding herself amidst the seating area.

The light coursed through Anna’s body, then shifted to a malevolent darkness. Her head rose, her hands outstretched, as she absorbed the energy. In a split second, the supernatural display ended, and the environment returned to normal.

A deathly hush fell over the scene.

Eric and the rest looked up to see Anna standing before them. Her eyes were still black, and her demeanour was more intimidating than ever. She gazed at them with a mocking smile.

"Do you all think you can hold me down?" she said, her voice taking on a monstrous tone.

"Mrs Amares, what do we do now?" Eric asked Callis with hesitation.

The Mederian Princess seemed at a loss.

"I... I’m not sure. All I know is the spirit must be subdued. I’ve only read about this in ancient scripture and never faced one!" She paused momentarily, then declared, "I’ll cover you all with my protective barrier so she won’t get away! You need to defeat it so it will leave her body. That’s all I know!"

The Mederian princess quickly cast her magic, and a white, semi-spherical barrier surrounded the group.

"Subdue the spirit?" Anna scoffed, her voice laced with derision. "Let’s see how you plan to do that!"

In a blink, she lunged towards Eli, who was nearest to her and kicked the young knight’s sword from his grasp.

The princess jumped high, snatching the sword out of the air as it fell. She landed gracefully on the ground, the blade now in her possession.

Eli fell backwards, completely caught off guard by the princess’s powerful strike.

"What the..." he started, but his words were cut short when he realised Anna now held his sword.

The weapon in her hands made it clear that this was no longer the meek Anna they knew. The knights couldn’t fathom how she had become possessed of such strength and skill.

"You’re the second-in-command knight, right?" she taunted Eric, then flicked her fingers to him, beckoning him to come forward. "Show me what you’ve got!"

Eric hesitated, reluctant to fight against his lady. "My lady, calm down. I don’t want to hurt you," he warned.

Anna let out a hysterical laugh.

"Hurt me? We’ll see who gets hurt now!"

She rushed towards Eric, thrusting the sword with tremendous force. The knight raised his dagger, nimbly dodging the attack, but the sheer power behind Anna’s strike still pushed him back.

Smoke of fine dust rose from the training ground as Eric’s boots skidded across the surface, his stance struggling to withstand the princess’s onslaught.

Eric’s brow furrowed as he sensed the sheer power behind her blows. It was on par with Kyren’s. There was no time to ponder the reason, however. The priority now was to subdue the princess without harming her.

"Knights, attack!" the second-in-command knight ordered.

Confused, the knights looked at him, but Eric repeated the command, "Do it!"

"Yes, Sir Navin!" they shouted in unison.

Swordless, Eli drew his dagger to arm himself, and the knights converged on Anna from all sides. The possessed princess raised her sword and deftly parried their attacks with elegant and calculated movements.

The knights were stunned—Anna’s combat prowess mirrored Kyren’s strength. She thrust her blade towards Drystan, then simultaneously lashed out with a mighty fist towards Garin. The knights were forced to dodge and block quickly.

Though the knights attacked the princess, they were exceedingly cautious, determined not to harm her. Despite her ferocious assault, the Knights of Gerhard remained vigilant, carefully watching for opportunities they could exploit without putting the princess in danger.

The fight continued, the clashing of steel echoing across the training ground. Anna propelled her strikes with great power, her movements fluid as she sought vulnerabilities in her opponents’ stances. With powerful jumps, she would lunge forward, targeting any exposed flanks.

"D*mn it!" Noah cursed, recognising the techniques Anna was employing.

"That’s your combat style, Sir Brooks!" Damon, who noticed the same, exclaimed.

"I know!" the knight replied tersely.

"Shut up!" Anna yelled at the two knights as the furious battle raged on.

Before Damon could react, the possessed princess surged forward. She thrust forcefully against his blade, knocking it from his grasp.

Eric swiftly countered, intercepting Anna’s sword just in time to save Damon from being stabbed.

"My God! She has just copied Sir Navin’s combat style!" Luke exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Realising the situation based on his quick assessment and observation, Eric shouted, "Be careful, everyone! This spirit knows everything our lady has seen. Don’t waver in your attacks!"

"But she might get hurt!" Eli said.

"We can’t hesitate!" Eric asserted. "If we don’t forcefully attack, the spirit won’t be driven out. Charge now!"

Eric and Noah lunged forward, their weapons clashing against Anna’s as they pressed on. The relentless strikes from the two experienced high-ranking knights challenged the possessed princess, but her flawless technique allowed her to evade their attacks.

Garin struck from behind, but Anna sensed the blow coming and dodged it with her armoured shoulder. Seizing the opening, Eric thrust his dagger towards her neck while Noah and Drystan surrounded her from opposing angles.

Simultaneously, Damon and Eli swept Anna’s legs while Luke struck her back with the hilt of his sword. The princess’s small figure stumbled to the ground, the knights’ weapons poised around her.

Callis breathed a tense sigh of relief from behind the protective barrier, her brow glistening with sweat.

"Leave her, you demon!" Eric commanded.

Suddenly, Anna’s angry countenance crumbled, replaced by a look of profound sadness. She closed her eyes and cried, "Sir Navin, why are you doing this to me?" Her voice returned to normal, meek and soft. "You’re hurting me! Let me go! Please!"

The knights exchanged bewildered glances, unsure if this was indeed the princess speaking or the ancient spirit.

"My lady, is this really you?" Luke asked, seeking confirmation.

Silence, save for Anna’s despairing sobs, filled the training ground.

"Open your eyes, my lady," Garin urged cautiously.

"We won’t let you go until we’re sure the one speaking to us is truly you," Eric declared.

The princess slowly opened her eyes, her sorrowful expression suddenly shifting into a mocking smile.

"Stupid knights!" she spat, her black eyes glaring at them with contempt. "You all will die by my hand!"

Without warning, Anna slammed her palm against the ground. The earth began to tremble beneath their feet.

The knights fought to maintain their footing as the ground shook, desperate to keep the princess trapped within their formation. But with a mighty leap, Anna broke free, sending the soldiers tumbling.

Callis poured more of her mana into strengthening the protective barrier, but the princess forcedly shattered it, surging forward with murderous intent.

"No!" the Mederian princess cried, leaping to intercept the attack.

Their blades crashed against each other, and Callis was forced to fight on her left hand due to the injury to her right shoulder.

Despite her best efforts, the Mederian Princess struggled to gain the upper hand against the possessed princess’s determined strikes. She recoiled when the aura of the black magic attempted to reach for her.

With the protective barrier shattered, Anna had grown even more unhinged, her movements wild and unpredictable. The dark force surrounding her seemed to thicken, pulsing with an evil energy.

Callis’s brow knitted with panic at the situation.

"Use your magic against her!" Eric shouted to the Mederian Princess.

"I can’t!" she exclaimed.

"Why not?" Luke demanded, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

Why were the Mederians, known for their powerful magical attributes, unable to use their abilities against the dark magic?

The Mederian princess hesitated, unable to reveal the actual reason; the sacred oath of her clan to protect the Ro’an descendant and her soulmate.

"I’m still hurt. I can’t use attack magic!" she lied, her words tumbling out.

The knights joined the fray, and now it was eight against one. Yet they could not subdue the possessed princess even with their combined might.

Anna fought with a ferocity that belied her small stature, thwarting their every attempt to overpower her.

Suddenly, alarms resounded from the mansion, echoing across the training ground. It seemed the dangerous situation had been made known to the occupants.

The knights faltered momentarily, their heads turning towards the source of the alarm. Anna seized the opportunity, pressing her advantage with renewed vigour.

Callis shouted a warning, but the knights were already reeling from the princess’s furious strikes. They scrambled to regain their footing, but the princess’ onslaught left them hard-pressed to mount an effective counter.

"Die, you mere existences!" she cackled, her voice twisted with a satanic glee. "I will be the strongest of all!"

She turned to Eli and shouted, "You’re the first weakling!"

She whirled, lunging towards the young knight with her sword raised high.

But as the blade descended, a decisive blow intercepted it; the steel broke with a loud clang and fell off to the training ground.

"Anna! Kaam bessi et ettar!" Kiev’s thunderous voice called out.

("Anna! Come back to me!")

The formidable Mederian prince had arrived for the rescue.

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