Debbie was undeniably a quirky girl, often letting her mind wander to odd details. Right now, she was genuinely curious whether Gastin’s bald head had anything to do with his mercenary group’s name, Brightlight…
Her words, however, were taken as provocation.
Gastin’s expression turned furious, his baldness a sore spot. How was he to know he’d go bald in his later years? Gripping his sword hilt tightly, he said icily, “Little girl, you’ll pay for your insult. No matter who my opponent is, I won’t hold back. I hope you understand that.”
The three-match challenge was strategic. The blond man’s first match, like Green’s decision to fight, was a test to gauge this outsider guild’s strength. Many in their group were stronger than the blond man.
Though he lost, they didn’t believe Ye Chui’s guild was truly powerful. Green’s victory, in their eyes, relied on despicable tactics. Perhaps their Three-Star rank was earned the same way?
Gastin was filled with contempt.
“Fine…” Debbie, seeing he wouldn’t answer, gave up, though her big eyes lingered on his bald head, thinking how many bald people she’d met lately.
“You’re crossing my line!” Noticing Debbie’s persistent stare, Gastin gritted his teeth. His face twitched, and he resolved to kill this insolent girl without mercy.
As a renowned swordsman, however, he worried about the reputational damage. After a moment’s thought, he said haughtily, “I, Gastin, am a swordsman of honour. Facing a little girl isn’t my intent. So, I’ll give you three free moves!”
With that, he released his sword hilt.
This was the cunning of a seasoned swordsman. Letting her have three moves would shield his reputation if he killed her, perhaps even earning him praise.
With his senior swordsman skills, his sword aura alone could block an intermediate mage’s full attack. Defending against this young girl would be easy—how strong could she be?
He silently applauded his cleverness.
Debbie blinked her big eyes. “Oh? You sure?”
“Haha, this girl’s clueless. Gastin’s among the top hundred swordsmen in Fengyan City. Even without drawing his sword, your spells can’t hurt him,” someone shouted arrogantly.
“Little girl, why not surrender now? I don’t want to hurt a maiden,” Gastin said smugly, though he hoped she wouldn’t give up.
Debbie sighed helplessly, glancing back at Ye Chui and Green, who were stifling laughter. They whispered something, then burst out laughing.
This infuriated Gastin further. “What are you two muttering about?” he bellowed.
“Oh, nothing,” Ye Chui replied, grinning. “We’re just betting on whether you’ll kneel and surrender later.”
“You insult me!” Gastin roared, his ring of hair around his bald crown fluttering without wind, sharp sword aura erupting from him.
At that moment, a golden light filled the Coldstone Magic Guild’s hall. Debbie summoned Gilga.
Platinum Knight Gilga, clad in golden armour, her golden hair flowing, exuded valour and stunning beauty, her presence radiant.
Appearing beside Debbie, she swept a cold, proud gaze over the crowd, lingering briefly on the now-rigid Gastin before kneeling to Debbie. “Miss Debbie, Gilga is at your service.”
“Mm, Gilga, this bald swordsman wants to duel me and says he’ll give me three free moves. Go chop at him three times,” Debbie said with a smile.
The crowd snapped out of their shock, exclaiming.
“A summoner? This girl’s a summoner!?”
“Her summoned warrior is so powerful! This… this makes no sense.”
Gastin, unable to stay calm, shouted, “You’re a summoner?!”
“Yeah, no rule says a magic guild can’t have a summoner, right?” Debbie grinned.
Summoners, rare and unique, could join magic guilds or mercenary groups. Debbie, as a summoner in the Casual Name Magic Guild, was perfectly legitimate.
Summoners fought via their spirits, so Debbie sending a female warrior to face Gastin was fair…
Sweat beaded on Gastin’s forehead. He’d miscalculated. Young mages with great power were rare, but young summoners with strong spirit contracts were even rarer. He never imagined this girl was a summoner, let alone one with such a formidable spirit. This golden female warrior’s aura was extraordinary!
He regretted everything, especially when a realization hit him.
“You call her Gilga? Could… could she be *the* Gilga, the golden sword aura warrior?”
In a big city like Fengyan, unlike Stan Town, some knew Gilga’s name!
Debbie’s face lit up. “Oh, you’ve heard of Gilga?”
Back in Stan Town, when she first summoned Gilga, no one, not even Los, knew her name, which had frustrated Debbie for ages.
“In the millennia since the gods fell, few swordsmen have mastered golden sword aura, and even fewer spirits wield it. Gilga ranks among the top ten golden aura spirits. How could I not know?” Gastin said in awe. “But I heard no one’s contracted with Gilga for ages. Sixty years ago, a young genius summoner bonded with her, but then vanished. Gilga hasn’t appeared since… and now, she’s contracted with you!”
“There’s a story like that?” Debbie looked puzzled. She’d contracted with Gilga by chance, finding her sword scabbard and stumbling into the spirit contract. She knew little about Gilga’s past hosts. She chuckled, “That genius summoner from sixty years ago must’ve been a real dummy~~”
Gilga, standing nearby, furrowed her golden brows slightly, as if sensing something.
Before she could speak, Debbie shouted, “Gilga, take him down!”
“Yes, Miss Debbie,” Gilga replied, her gaze turning cold as she faced Gastin.
“Wait—” Gastin cried out in panic.
But golden sword aura erupted from Gilga.
Gastin instinctively gripped his sword hilt, preparing to draw.
His blade moved only two inches from its sheath when Gilga’s attack came, her golden aura engulfing him.
It lasted a mere instant, yet for Gastin, it felt like an eternity.
When the golden aura faded, Gastin stood frozen, his sword still two inches drawn. The hall fell silent.
A breeze passed, and the remaining hair around his bald crown drifted away.
It’s said extreme stress can turn hair white overnight or cause it to fall out. Gastin, a swordsman for over thirty years, prided himself on his sharp sword aura. But facing the legendary golden sword aura, he didn’t dare engage. Its mere presence shattered his courage.
In that brief yet endless moment, fear stripped away his remaining hair. Soaked in cold sweat, he trembled, then realized the golden aura hadn’t struck him. The ground around his feet was scarred with deep sword marks, showing Gilga could’ve killed him countless times but chose not to.
The strike spared his body, but Gastin knew his sword aura would never recover its former strength. His path to becoming a great swordsman was severed.
*Thud*, he collapsed to his knees, saying earnestly, “I… surrender.”
This shocked and puzzled the others.
Only Gastin, facing Gilga’s aura directly, truly understood her terror. In that moment, he realized no one in Fengyan City, save a few hidden swordsmen and mages by the lord’s side, could match this golden warrior.
“Green, you lost. He’s kneeling and begging,” Ye Chui’s voice broke the silence.
Green reluctantly handed Ye Chui a gold coin, shooting Gastin a resentful glance. *How could you lose so completely? Where’s your swordsman’s pride and honour? The leader was right, you really knelt and begged…*
“Brother Gastin, you…” Panal began, surprised.
“I lost fair and square!” Gastin said, rising slowly, looking at Gilga with awe. “Thank you for your mercy.”
“Don’t thank me. If you dare draw your sword against Miss Debbie again, mine won’t spare you,” Gilga said coldly. Gastin was a skilled swordsman, but far below someone like Kas. Killing him would be a disgrace to her blade.
She sheathed her sword and returned respectfully to Debbie’s side.
Gastin, trembling, stepped back silently.
Debbie puffed out her chest proudly, addressing Panal. “We’ve won two of three matches. So, you’ll hand over the invitation now, right?”
If Green’s fight had left the crowd dismissive, believing the Casual Name Magic Guild relied on trickery for their Three-Star rank, Debbie’s display proved their true strength. No one dared underestimate them now.
But… hand over the invitation just like that?
Reluctance flickered across several faces.
The mercenary guild chairman, silent until now, was deeply shaken. He knew more about the Casual Name Magic Guild, but hadn’t believed the tales of their feats in Stan Town—dealing with the Apostle, Fallen Nun, Dark Devotees, and Dark Mage. Now, he believed their Three-Star rank was deserved.
This realization brought deep concern. His attitude toward Ye Chui yesterday and his suggestion to pit them against Two-Star guilds had thoroughly offended them. What now?
At that moment, Panal, the Coldstone Guild leader, stepped forward, addressing Ye Chui and Debbie. “Your Three-Star Guild’s strength is indeed remarkable, but…”
“But what?” Debbie snapped, displeased. “Are you going to renege?”
“No, no, of course not…” Panal waved his hands quickly. “But we agreed on three matches. Even if we’ll lose the last one, we want to try. Please, indulge us.” His eyes turned to Ye Chui. “We’d love to see the guild leader’s strength.”
“Fine, let’s do the third match,” Ye Chui said, stepping forward with a smile, worried he wouldn’t get a chance to fight. “So, who’s facing me?”
“You’re a Three-Star Guild, far stronger than our Two-Star guilds and mercenary groups, so we deserve some leeway,” Panal said with a sly smile, a cold glint in his eyes. “I recall you said we could all come at you? Well, we won’t hold back.”
With that, he stepped forward from the crowd.
After a moment’s hesitation, several other mages and swordsmen, unable to resist the invitation’s allure, joined him.
