Asher took a deep breath. "Most rulers have been under the fame and glory of the four great dukes of centuries. In the world, you four are remembered. I don't want to always be glorified because of the things done in the past."
These were words from his heart.
As a man from earth who knew a lot about Boundless, Asher knew he had to go through the Ashbourne ways but he wanted to be more than that. Players had the right to build their own nations and he wanted that for himself.
He wanted to grow beyond the level the great dukes achieved. His unspoken goal was to surpass the unsurpassed Zenas and to be known by his own name. To be the one that surpassed the legendary Zenas and opened up new doors for the Ashbourne name.
"Such great ambition with such little willpower." Ariel said it in a tone that was neither insulting nor appreciative. It was calm and almost emotionless.
"I gave you a response."
Asher replied with a similar tone.
Ariel cocked her head. "You want to surpass the great dukes. You want to be more than you are... well, you must first be an Ashbourne lord of our level."
When Asher was expecting to be ejected out of her space since their conversation seemed to have reached an end, Ariel suddenly removed her helmet, revealing her beautiful face that was graced with a little smile.
Asher was taken aback. He couldn't come up with any words as he watched Ariel float toward him and place her right hand on his shoulder.
"I have seen your military officers and those capable of standing in your court and I am impressed. I was furious at you for heading into the desolatelands but not even our first ancestor Zenas expected the appearance of Ashkelon."
"Building your domain in a land that has never been conquered by any high plain lord wasn't a plan I nor any of your relatives might have thought about. But I am more impressed with your ability to instantly take things to the next level. Such a talent must be at its peak."
Asher smiled. He didn't plan on making her know it was the work of the system.
"You have several diamond-ranked knights and over a hundred gold-ranked knights. Such might should make you a viscount but there is one thing about Lord's that you fail to understand. You might not have known about it because of how you grew but it's not too late."
A fierce gale blew and the environment changed. Asher found himself standing alongside Ariel on a hill, looking at the great battle in the valley below.
It was a battle that involved hundreds of thousands.
Asher looked at where she pointed and saw a female red knight dancing on the battlefield. A swing of her blade took a life and not once did she miss a kill. Right behind her was a huge wolf that did a dozen times worse.
Asher saw a cavalry led by a black armored knight heading toward the red knight. When they were close, the eyes of the wolf and that of the red-armored knight turned white and she stomped her right foot on the ground and then swung the other one like she was about to deliver a kick.
Asher saw air come together to become visible. The fierce coalesced wind slammed downward, splitting the cavalry and slaying a hundred in an instant!
As if that wasn't enough, she leaned forward and breathed out a burst of wind, so large that men and their horses were disorganized; some fell off their horse, some fell with their horse, but though no one was killed, their charge in shambles.
The red armored knight brandished her swords and clashed with the black armored knight, who had grown to 12 feet! Strangely, his armor and great sword increased along with his size.
Such a gigantic man made Asher suck in a breath of cold air but the small, less than 6-foot-tall woman clashed with the 12-foot-tall black armored knight.
A visible ripple blasted outward, sweeping away thousands of soldiers! The fact that the red armored knight could clash swords with the black armored knight stunned Asher greatly.
She was swift while the black armored knight was quite slow but still, the red armored knight couldn't move past his defenses.
Their battle force pulsing in their veins produced the catastrophic might both lords' unleashed.
Asher was sure only one of them could bring down the walls of his stronghold and slaughter everyone within.
"That was my battle against a marquise, a vassal of Duke Nubis the III. He was a fearsome knight, known as the Monster Knight, while I was known as the Dread Knight. Our battle was told off throughout the continent but while I got to hear it, he was 6 feet under."
"My pet did. I was just nourishing my battle experience."
Her half-hearted tone made Asher grow cold. Such a fearsome warrior and she didn't seem to take him seriously.
"The fact that you did not kill your opponent with one strike or two doesn't make you weak or at the same level. A good warrior takes his time to learn and improve at every chance he has because you shall one day meet near death and only your experience can save you. Killing instantly narrows your battle experience."
"How did you know what I was thinking in this direction?" Asher turned to face her.
"Your question said it all."
Asher turned back to the battlefield and saw when the marquise plunged his sword into the ground and the earth split open. The rift swallowed thousands but she simply blew her men away, only allowing the marquise men to fall.
"That was a knight skill he got from a magic scroll. It's called Earth Divider and it's a saint-ranked skill."
As she spoke, Asher saw that the entire valley was destroyed by the skill, and many, even some soldiers from the Ashbourne side, fell to their deaths.
The scene vanished and they reappeared in a desolate valley.
"Now, boy, how good are you with the sword?"
Before Asher could reply, Ariel's swords had left her scabbards.