An ambush that was slightly unexpected had been underway for a few minutes. The flames ignited by the fire pots made the night seem hot, while the sound of weapons clashing added to the noise by the lakeside.
Daon had killed two people, holding a staff in one hand and a sword in the other. He looked around under the firelight and saw several bodies lying around, getting his first impression of the borderland from this initial battle.
Heavy armor, large shields, indeed challenging to kill. Even if the soldiers of Carya were slightly superior, they could delay time by hiding behind shields. Also, Blaize's giant sword slashing out waves of ice, likewise, couldn't instantly kill the knights holding their large shields.
Three cuckoo knights, two of them holding sword and shield, one with a long spear. They placed the vertical shield in front, with spears and swords stabbing straight ahead. Undoubtedly a shameless up close combat strategy. But the power and agility of the wolfman were on another level entirely, keeping the three under pressure.
'First, break this balance!'
Daon didn't pay attention to the companions close at hand. With his straight sword hidden behind him, he headed straight for the wolfman. At this moment, some soldiers noticed this strange magician and blocked his way, raising their swords ready to slash.
Whiz, whiz—
Arrows flew through the air. One soldier fell limp, an arrow in his throat, another took an arrow to the chest. Fortunately, his excellent chain mail blocked the arrow and, bearing the pain, he placed a zither-shaped shield in front of him. Then, he felt something heavy step on the surface of his shield, unconsciously raising his head.
Against the backdrop of the moon, a wide mage's robe fluttered. A young man looked down with glowing blue eyes, and the staff in his hands revealed the insignia of the academy.
Luminary Magic Stone!
Daon squatted halfway on the ground, listening to the sound of the body falling behind him. This roundabout strike tore the opponent's neck apart, regular chain mail wouldn't be able to block the close-range direct shot of magic.
Just as the body fell to the ground, Daon pushed off on the ball of his foot, sprinting forward like a short-distance runner. His hands moved quickly, surprisingly squeezing his way out of the chaotic battle.
The soldiers on the road barely had time to stop him, not because Daon was too quick, but because their heavy armor made their movements sluggish. They just turned their heads to watch as the magician rushed towards the end of the troop.
Had he gone mad??
Over there was where the wolfman and three cuckoo knights were fighting. In this borderland, the disparity in strength was very obvious. Let alone the wolfman, even an ordinary cuckoo knight could cut a soldier in half along with armor with a single strike.
With superior strength, agility and perception, the knight at the end could already sense someone coming from behind. Turning his head and looking, he was also somewhat astonished.
A magician was rushing towards him, raising his staff while running and the basic spell Luminary Magic Stone came flying over from several meters away.
Boom.
Without hesitation, he used his large shield to block. His wrist shook lightly, and the magic stone exploded into bright blue particles, causing no damage at all. The knight took a step forward and directly slapped away with his shield.
Shield Bash.
Daon abruptly stopped. The gust of wind was howling in his face. If he were hit, he'd be sent flying several meters. However, just as the shield passed by, the knight took another step forward and delivered a spear thrust with force from his waist.
Spear Thrust!
This was the most basic combo spear technique. The spear thrust was sudden and quick, Daon instinctively leaned to the right, his straight sword blocking in front of his chest.
Sizzle...
The blade and spear generated a shower of sparks as they rubbed against each other, briefly illuminating Daon's face.
'His strength and speed are on an entirely different level, and his combat experience is very rich!'
A gust of wind came at his face, and he didn't have to look to know it was the left-hand shield coming back. The edge of the pure steel shield was a deadly weapon in itself.
Without thinking, instinct already made a response. Daon turned his wrist, and his straight sword swept inward along the spear shaft.
Pop.
A light sound came from the iron gauntlet, his straight sword slashed the knight's spear-holding hand. Although he wasn't particularly strong, it was not like striking a delicate girl – failing to cut through the steel gauntlet but still twisting the knuckles, causing the knight to let go of the grip from the pain.
The long spear fell to the ground, the shield bash was still in progress. Unfortunately, Daon's body followed the sword, rushing into the knight's arms like throwing himself into a wolf's den, they were almost glued together, dodging into the blind spot of the shield bash.
???
The closed helmet limited the field of vision, but he still felt an enemy rushing into his arms. As a mercenary, he was well experienced, but he had never seen such unusual swordsmanship.
How could one exert forces while being so close? Was he planning to smash the heavy armor with his fists?
This doubt was shattered by a pool of blue light in a split second. Daon was clinging to the chest armor, his staff pointed at the ground, and Carya's insignia appeared.
Carya's Swift Sword!
Much like the 'lightsaber' of the Jedi knights, a surge of energy sprang out of the short staff. Then the energy gathered into a three-foot light blade, poking through the gaps in the armor joints.
"Ah!"
The knight let out a scream, one of his knees got stabbed by the sword. The magic tore through bones and muscles, the knight lost balance and fell backward, leaving only the lower leg in place. Having experienced many battles, he lifted his hand and slammed it toward his opponent's chest.
Thump!
Accompanied by a crisp ring, sparks burst. The superior force blew the straight sword away, leaving a superficial fist mark on the chest of his opponent. But this man didn't yell out in pain like the privileged magicians, instead, he leaned forward into the punch with a bloodthirsty grin on his face.
Whiz—
Carya's Swift Sword swung back, passing through the gap between the helmet and shoulder armor, leaving a bright blue arc in the darkness.
Thud.
The knight finally fell to the ground. His blue-tasseled helmet rolled on the ground, and through the gap, you could see a face of disbelief.
The sword wasn't fast, but it was incredibly steady.
'Three rib fractures.' Daon rubbed his chest, quickly estimating the injury, and looking up, he met Blaize's astonished gaze.
The wolfman was standing on the body of a knight who had been nearly halved, and another knight with both hands cut off was screaming and crawling on the ground.
As it turned out, three cuckoo knights could barely hold him off, while two stood no chance at all.
"You..." The wolfman blinked, his brain not processing the situation for a moment.
Even if the lance knight was not good at infantry fighting, how could he be killed in close combat by a magician? The bewilderment lasted only an instant, until Daon stole the final kill with Luminary Magic Stone and brought him back to his senses.
"Retreat!"
As someone who was short on words but ruthless, Blaize clearly knew what the situation was. The ground trembled slightly, the sound of distant thunder was heard, and an unknown number of cavalry were rushing over.
When he said run, he meant it. Daon only felt a gust of wind passing by his ear, and the sound of a huge sword cutting through flesh entered his ears. As he looked back, two reinforcements were cut in half by the huge sword before they could even see who they were up against. The wound was frozen by ice, and they were screaming on the ground, unable to die right away.
So fast!
Daon turned and caught up, collecting heads as he admired the butchery on display. This made him realize why Blaize dared to launch a night attack, his combat power was enough to go against a hundred.
Guts match the talent. A roaring goblin swung and missed a sword stroke. The wolfman stepped on its forearm to climb up. Mid-air, the great sword swept across, and the flying ice crystals scratched the goblin's eyeballs.
The screams echoed in the night. The huge sword was slashed and smashed wildly, leaving large pits on the ground.
'This strength is probably not inferior to the Lion Ape!'
Daon also noticed the destructive power and decisively helped his injured companion to go around. He lowered his head and rushed towards the lakeside - the thunderous sound was getting closer and closer, he could even judge the distance between the two parties.
Only two hundred meters apart!
Carrying this unknown sword and shield bearer, he ran through the waist-high grass and saw the archer shouting on the boat.
"Hurry, hurry!"
The small boat had already been pulled into the lake. Blaize, who was leading the way, leaped out more than ten meters stably and landed on the bow of the boat. Turning around, he saw a fire dragon falling behind Daon and the others, and faintly heard the sound of arrows piercing through the air.
The cuckoos had caught up, but Blaize didn't order to set sail. He picked up the rope on the boat and threw it out like a whip, pulling a few people around their waists directly. Regardless of the muffled hum as they were thrown onto the boat, he immediately ordered:
"Go!"
The oars moved at a fast pace. The archer obviously put all his strength into it, and Blaize also put aside his pride and using his sword as a paddle, rowed frantically. The small boat darted away from the lakeshore like an arrow leaving the bow. About a dozen seconds later, a group of cuckoo knights stepped onto the beach. Under the illumination of torches, there were dozens of them.
However, the small boat was already hundreds of meters away from the lakeside, all they could do was irritably control their horses to pace back and forth, doomed to watch in vain.
"Thank God these bastards didn't bring crossbows."
Daon sat upright, touched his blood-covered body, and looked back. The sword and shield bearer he had carried out had wide-open eyes, a sword mark on his chest. It turns out that he had already died on the way to escape.
He froze for a moment, but there was no emotion of sadness. He bent down to close the knight's eyes, not because he was hard-hearted, but because he had seen too much of this.
A terracotta pot is bound to break near the well, a general is bound to die at the front.
No matter which world, picking up the knife means being killed. But what if one doesn't pick up the knife?
Daon glanced at the exhausted warriors on the small boat, including Blaize. Everyone was still not out of their nerves; they were just breathing the cold air desperately.
They, like Daon, had no choice.
'At least, I found a capital to survive.'
Daon gripped the sword, felt the power that the tense muscles brought. Now, after the battle, especially after killing two cuckoo knights, he found that the initial feeling of killing was not an illusion.
Yes, the power significantly increased after a brief killing spree, and there was even a familiar feeling deep in the soul.
Was that... the power of the Dragon Brood?