The moon was bright.
A somewhat unexpected ambush had been underway for several minutes; the blazing flames from the firepots made the night unbearably hot, and the clash of weapons made the lakeside seem even more chaotic.
Donn had killed two people in quick succession, one hand holding his staff, the other gripping his sword.
Looking up and around, he saw several fallen bodies by the light of the flames, giving him his first impression of the battleground.
Heavy armor and large shields were indeed difficult to defeat. Even if the Calia soldiers were slightly stronger, as long as they stayed behind their shields, they could delay time. Similarly, Blazer's great sword, which cleaved through frost, couldn't instantly kill the knight wielding the large shield.
Three Duyu knights, two with sword and shield, and one with a spear, held their shields forward, their spears and great swords thrusting directly. It was truly a shameless technique; meanwhile, the werewolf's strength was on another level, his movements incredibly agile, firmly suppressing the three knights.
‘Break this balance first!’
Donn didn’t pay attention to his nearby companions, his straight sword hidden behind him. He charged straight towards the werewolf. At this moment, soldiers noticed the strange mage and quickly blocked his path, raising their swords to strike.
Whoosh—
Arrows flew through the air, one soldier fell softly after an arrow struck his throat, and another was hit in the chest. Fortunately, his fine chainmail stopped the arrow, and in pain, he used his kite-shaped shield to block. Then, he felt something heavy press against his shield and instinctively looked up.
Against the backdrop of the full moon, the wide mage’s robe fluttered in the air. A young man looked down, his blue eyes glowing, and the emblem of the academy appeared on the staff he held.
Crystal magic stone!
Donn crouched on the ground, listening to the sound of the body falling behind him. His rear strike had torn open the opponent’s neck, as ordinary chainmail couldn’t block a direct, close-range magical shot.
The moment the body hit the ground, Donn pushed off his toes and sprinted forward like a sprinter, his arms swinging rapidly as he dashed out from the chaotic battle.
The soldiers on the way didn’t have time to stop him; it wasn’t that Donn was fast, but the heavy armor slowed their movements. They merely turned their heads to watch him, seeing the mage heading straight towards the rear of the group.
Has this person gone mad?
That was the area where the werewolf was fighting the three Duyu knights. In this battleground, the power differences were quite clear. Not to mention themention the werewolf, even an ordinary Duyu knight could cut a person and their armor in two with one strike.
With advantages in strength, agility, and perception, the knight at the rear already sensed someone approaching from behind. He turned his head, equally surprised.
A mage was running towards him, raising his staff as he ran, and a low-level spell, the crystal magic stone, flew from several meters away.
Thud.
Without hesitation, he raised his large shield to block, giving his wrist a light flick. The magic stone shattered into deep blue particles, causing no harm at all. The knight then stepped forward and immediately slapped his shield away.
Shield strike.
Donn stopped abruptly, feeling the howling wind rushing towards him. If it hit him, he would be sent flying several meters. However, as the shield passed, the knight took another step forward and thrust his spear with a twist of his waist.
Spear thrust!
This was the most basic consecutive spear technique: quick and fierce. Donn instinctively turned his body to the right, placing his straight sword in front of his chest.
Zing...
The sword blade scraped against the spear, producing a shower of sparks that briefly illuminated Donn's face.
'The strength and speed are on a completely different level, and the combat experience is also highly refined!'
The fierce wind struck his face, and without looking, Donn knew that the left-hand shield had been slapped back again. The edge of the pure steel shield was already a deadly weapon.
Without thinking, his instincts took over. Donn twisted his wrist, sweeping his straight sword inward along the shaft of the spear.
“pa......”
Here is the extracted English translation:
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A faint sound came from the iron gloves as the straight sword struck the knight's hand holding the spear. The knight’s body wasn't particularly strong, but it wasn’t weak either. The sword failed to cut through the steel gloves but still twisted the fingers, and in pain, the knight immediately loosened his grip.
The spear fell to the ground, and the shield strike was still on its way, but unfortunately, Donn moved with the sword and dove into the knight’s embrace as if running into an open hug, both bodies almost pressed together, avoiding the shield strike’s path.
The fully enclosed helmet narrowed his field of vision, but he still felt the enemy rush into his arms. As a mercenary, he had seen countless battles, but had never encountered such a peculiar sword technique.
How could force be exerted with them pressed together? Was he planning to break the heavy armor with his fists?
This doubt was instantly shattered by a burst of bright blue light. Donn pressed his body against the breastplate, his staff pointing to the ground as the Calia emblem appeared.
Calia’s Swift Sword!
Like a Jedi's “lightsaber,” the small staff emitted a surge of energy, which then condensed into a three-foot light blade, piercing through the joints of the armor.
"Ah!"
The knight let out a scream as his knee was pierced by the sword. The magic tore through his bones and muscles, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward, leaving his calf behind. Fortunately, with his battle-hardened experience, he raised his hand and struck toward Donn's chest.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic clang, sparks scattered as the overwhelming force knocked the straight sword away, leaving a shallow fist mark on the opponent’s chest. However, unlike pampered mages who would scream in pain, this knight leaned into the punch, smiling a bloodthirsty grin.
Whoosh—
Calia’s Swift Sword swung back, cutting through the gap between the helmet and shoulder armor, leaving a glowing blue arc in the dark night.
Thud.
The knight finally collapsed to the ground, his helmet with a blue plume rolling across the floor. Through the gap, one could still see an incredulous face.
The sword wasn’t fast, but its stability was incredible.
'Three ribs fractured.' Donn rubbed his chest, quickly assessing the injury. Then, raising his head, he met Blazer's stunned gaze.
The werewolf was stepping on the corpse of a knight, who had been almost cleaved in two. Another knight had both hands severed and was crawling on the ground, wailing in agony.
As it turned out, three Cuckoo knights could barely hold him back, while two couldn’t last more than a few moves.
"You..." The werewolf blinked, his brain momentarily unable to comprehend the situation.
Even though the spear knight wasn’t skilled in close combat, how could he be defeated in close quarters by a mage? His confusion lasted a moment, until Donn claimed another head with the magic stone and he snapped back to reality.
"Retreat!"
Blazer, a man of few words and ruthless demeanor, clearly understood the situation. The ground trembled slightly, and distant thunderous sounds echoed, signaling the arrival of an unknown number of cavalry.
Without further words, Donn felt a gust of wind brush past his ears. The sound of the giant sword cutting through flesh reached him. Turning back, two soldiers coming to assist were bisected by the giant sword before they even had a chance to react. The wounds instantly froze with ice, and while they didn’t die immediately, they screamed in agony on the ground.
So fast!
Donn turned and quickened his pace, collecting heads while admiring the s*******r that was as easy as chopping vegetables. He thought to himself, no wonder Blazer dared to launch a night raid—his combat prowess was enough to take on a hundred opponents.
Skilled warriors are bold, and the mountain demon charging with a roar swung a sword through empty air. The werewolf, stepping on the small arm, climbed upwards. As he reached mid-air, the giant sword swept, sending ice crystals flying and slicing through the mountain demon’s eye.
The scream echoed through the night as the giant sword swung wildly, leaving large craters in the ground.
'This power is probably on par with the lion ape!'
Donn also saw the destructive power, and decisively helped his injured companion while steering clear and heading toward the lake. The sound of thunder grew closer and closer, and he could even judge the distance between the two sides.
The distance was only two hundred meters!
He carried the unknown swordsman, passed through waist-high grass, and saw the archer yelling on the boat.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
The small boat had already been dragged into the lake. Blazer, leading the way, leaped over ten meters and landed steadily at the bow. Turning back, he saw a fire dragon fall behind Donn and the others, with the faint sound of arrows piercing the air.
The Cuckoo knights had caught up, but Blazer didn’t order the boat to leave. Instead, he grabbed a rope on the boat and threw it like a whip, wrapping it around several people’s waists and pulling them over, ignoring the dull grunts as they hit the boat. He immediately shouted:
"Go!"
The oars moved quickly, and the archer evidently used all his strength. Blazer also stopped pretending to be a master, using his sword as an oar to paddle furiously. The small boat sped away from the shore like an arrow, and after about ten seconds, a group of Cuckoo knights stepped onto the shore, illuminated by torches. There were as many as dozens of them.
But the boat had already covered several hundred meters, and they could only helplessly watch as the small boat sped away, with their horses restlessly pacing back and forth.
"It’s good they didn’t bring crossbows."
Donn sat up straight, touching the blood all over his body. He then looked behind him, where the swordsman he had carried was staring with wide eyes. There was still a sword wound on his chest—he had already died on the way while they were escaping.
He paused for a moment, but did not feel any sadness. He bent down to close the swordsman’s eyes, not because his heart was made of iron, but because he had seen too much of this kind of thing.
"The jar cannot escape being broken, and the general is destined to die on the battlefield."
No matter the world, picking up a sword means being killed. But what if one doesn’t pick up the sword?
Donn looked at the soldiers on the small boat, including Blazer. None of them had escaped from the tension, all of them were desperately breathing in the cold air.
They, like Donn, had no choice.
'At least I found a way to survive
.'
Donn gripped his sword, feeling the power brought by his tensed muscles. Now, after the battle, as he reflected, especially after slaying two Cuckoo knights, he realized that the sensation he had when killing them wasn’t an illusion.
Indeed, after the brief killing, his strength had noticeably increased, and there was even a familiar feeling deep in his soul.
That was... the power of Dragon’s Blood?