Chapter 95: Untitled

Was it because he had extremely sharp eyes and ears, or was it because he observed everything around him from an outsider’s perspective? However, what was probably more important were the boy’s experiences over the past dozens of days—ever since coming to Hayton, he seemed to constantly get entangled with all sorts of troubles. Too many dangers had left his nerves somewhat strained, so when he did not feel absolutely safe, he viewed everyone with a suspicious gaze. And all unusual places.

Was that spell, which had almost escaped his notice earlier, cast by someone, or was it activated using an item? If a spellcaster used it, where was that spellcaster now? Had they exhausted their abilities to conceal these dozen or so people, or were they looking for an opportune moment to strike?

Or perhaps, they were already preparing, or had even already cast the next spell?

As his understanding of magic deepened, the boy began to realize more profoundly the danger of this power… If the one hiding in the shadows was a sufficiently intelligent and powerful spellcaster, then completely wiping out the dozen or so nobles and the several dozen guards present would merely be a matter of casting a few more incantations!

“That idiot is a disgrace to mages! Does he even have a brain? Hasn’t he noticed the abnormal flow of Arcane Energy in the air?” the Lich inside the Amulet uttered a curse-like whisper.

In the distance, the scorching giant fireball truly lived up to its reputation of being unstoppable. Even the already-numb nerves of the berserkers instinctively dodged those rolling crimson flames. However, just like the Lich’s cursing, this mage named Purness could indeed be called a typical example of someone lacking basic awareness as a mage. At the very least, even Constantine clearly understood that in such a situation, spells that could effectively enhance oneself and weaken opponents should be the first choice. A randomly launched fireball did not fundamentally deal lethal damage to the enemy; it only provided some temporary suppression.

Of course, this suppression was not completely without effect.

Having the assistance of a mage undoubtedly boosted the confidence of most people present. The remaining bodyguards of the dozen or so nobles began to grow restless. In this relatively peaceful era, it was not easy for warriors to attain higher status. For those who could only sell their combat prowess, this was undoubtedly a rare opportunity!

Some assassins, and moreover, heretical Barbarians from the distant Western Frontier thousands of miles away—their corpses could not only earn praise from their noble masters but also exchange for enough Empire phoenix gold coins for retirement, as well as medals with substantial weight within the military!

“You few, stay here and don’t make any reckless moves!” Constantine suddenly ordered.

His voice was not loud, but it immediately drew some glances mixed with disdain. Although nobles treasured their own lives greatly, the boy’s order still carried the strong suspicion of being cowardly and fearing death, unwilling to face danger—”A true noble should dare to face a miserable life and should also be able to smile at spilled blood.” This was a maxim in high society praising a noble’s qualities. Although most nobles would not try to explore its intricacies, they would absolutely not show that they lacked the ability to achieve this.

But Constantine had no interest in caring about these things. He had already invested something in the four bodyguards and the Blood Elf. Before seeing appropriate results, he had no interest in having them wasted in this inexplicable place!

His line of thinking might not be entirely accurate, but it was correct.

“Kill that guy first!” a Barbarian warrior suddenly roared a muddled phrase. It seemed he was the most capable among them all… Unlike the insanity of others who had lost the ability to speak, he could still judge the situation normally and even give commands… And after his voice sounded, he instantly accelerated. With a movement completely mismatched to his muscular, knotty body, he burst through the formation where several Household Knights and barbarian warriors were tangled together in an instant. He charged directly toward the direction of that middle-aged man!

They were truly Barbarian warriors. Although they had lost half their numbers, and although they were caught in a half-encirclement, their fighting spirit and killing intent had not diminished in the slightest. Following the order, the three giant men at the front of the group. Amidst roars, each exerted their strength. At the cost of adding several more wounds to their bodies, they forcefully smashed the heads of three Household Knights, breaking out of the originally tight encirclement! Holding high their crude greatswords and battle axes stained with blood and bits of internal organs, they charged toward that target with an unstoppable momentum!

This momentum was intimidating. Everyone subconsciously cleared the path for these guys’ assault.

The next second, the three berserkers suddenly stopped… To be precise, they slowed their pace, then stretched out their arms flat, their entire bodies spinning violently like tops! This dizzying motion caused the heavy weapons in their hands to create a whirlwind of flesh and blood! This attack method was clearly a final trump card. The several Noble bodyguards who made contact were immediately sucked into this vortex of death. Their Armor, even the weapons in their hands, in this attack, seemed like brittle wooden sticks, shattering in rows! In the blink of an eye, the four had completely broken through the crude formation the Household Knights had just organized.

Four whirlwinds had cleared everyone in front of the battlefield almost instantly! Flying blood, limbs, and chunks of meat instantly spread the scent of blood, mixing with the residual fire spells into pungent, acrid fumes of burning. In a forward area of the field, aside from them, the only one left standing intact was that shabby-looking young man!

Then, three pairs of leather boots stomped heavily on the soft ground. Carrying countless clumps of black soil, they advanced parallel like three ferocious beasts!

The giant axe in the hands of the barbarian warrior leader had almost grazed the young man’s clothes! All onlookers let out uncontrollable screams. Decades of war practice had long proven it. In close combat, the Barbarian’s strength and speed were unmatched by ordinary Humans. And going berserk undoubtedly made their killing power even greater. Especially now, it was four against one. This young man seemed to be their greatest hope for survival. If he died, then the remaining few Royal Knights could absolutely not guarantee everyone’s safety!

What happened next looked like a scene from a painting…

At the moment of contact, the young man suddenly halted. With an incredibly precise twist of his body, the heavy battle axe swept past his side with a gust of wind. Yet, at the same time, he seemingly casually, yet extremely accurately, reached out his hand.

A dull, non-crisp impact sound rang out. It was unusually unpleasant, like rusty blades hitting a rotten papaya, only dozens of times louder…

That fierce barbarian warrior, in the face of the middle-aged man’s simple close-quarters attack motion, actually had not made any defensive move at all… Or perhaps he attempted a counterattack, but his body just couldn’t react in time—his head with its stiff beard and hair exploded with a bang amidst this sound! Red and white sticky fluids scattered everywhere! The big man’s body continued forward by inertia, maintaining that axe-chopping posture.

One strike hit. The black figure used an elegant posture to lightly retreat, flying backward. But mid-retreat, he actually used his waist strength to forcefully turn again. And the longsword in his hand swept out a flash of Silver Light with this motion! Two heads soared into the sky along with a fountain-like flow of blood!

“Beautiful!”

This attack even drew some admiration from Constantine. Although he didn’t have much understanding of the power levels of experts in this world, the opponent’s flawlessly fluid movements almost matched those of the masters from the movies in his memory.

But this also raised doubts in his heart again—with this person’s strength, he could probably take out all the Barbarians instantly without any problem. But why had he only chosen to fight them on seemingly equal terms before? Was it so-called cat-and-mouse play? That was simply too absurd—even if he didn’t care about the lives of those Household Knights, was the life of the Empire’s Crown Prince also something he used to show off?

No, it should be said that he shared the same concerns as Constantine… The boy’s heart trembled.

This observation and contemplation did not take much time. Then, he heard a strange sound. It was somewhat like the rustling of wind through leaves, but everyone clearly knew that was not the sound wind made in a forest.

Any wind in the world, even a tropical storm, could not create such a sound, or such an effect—along with that strange howling came the rustling sound of stones rubbing! The nobles screamed again, because they now noticed that an extremely thick and sturdy big tree, originally growing by the lakeshore, began to shake!

Numerous roots upheaved from the ground. Thick branches and rhizomes twisted and tangled together, combining with split parts of the trunk to form huge limbs. And the many burls on the upper part of the original trunk had now formed a somewhat face-like portion, from whose cracks issued a roar similar to strong wind rushing through a forest—this sound was so loud, it seemed the entire forest was shaking.

This was the opponent’s backup plan. The Barbarians were merely pawns sacrificed to buy time, all to give the spellcaster ample time to awaken these trees! And also, to prevent the opposing mage from noticing the spellcaster’s existence!

A wall of fire erupting from the ground instantly surrounded the giant treant. Flames crackled as they burned on the wood, but this spell had no effect at all. The treant roared, blowing out damp, misty wind to extinguish the flames. Carrying some unextinguished fire, it took two steps out of the forest and onto the open ground, simultaneously uprooting a dead tree blocking its path!

Retreat, into the water!

The knight leader decisively roared the command!

The swung giant piece of wood carried terrifying force. The sound was strange, very muffled, like countless balloons popping, puff puff puff puff. It wasn’t particularly soul-terrifying, but the tree that had become a swirling blur of light and shadow caused exceptionally horrifying casualties. In just a few breaths, the treant had cleared all enemies. Its power was truly despair-inducing.

In the face of such tremendous force, even the sturdiest Armor was pointless—sharp blades might fail to damage an iron box, but if someone smashed it with a large hammer, the box would rarely remain undented.

Only three knights remained, along with Constantine’s subordinates who had originally been hiding at the very back and could still participate in the fight. However, the weapons in their hands clearly had no effect on this monster. Battle axes and warhammers could only barely harm the opponent. Although each strike carried away large amounts of wood chips and bark, the treant ignored it completely. This was because it had no bones or internal organs inside its body, and under the forest’s protection, its injured parts were recovering and healing—the treant swung the tree trunk in its hand and smashed it heavily against the steel structure, producing a loud boom. The massive sound wave was deafening. The Archmage used Flight Spells or Feather Fall Spells to dodge one after another, but one mage was struck by flying wood chips. The fluctuating protective spell against ranged weapons wavered and blurred. Over a dozen sharp arrows arrived in an instant, and two arrows successfully pierced through the protective shield and hit him—that was enough.

The attackers were not just these barbarian warriors.

Barbarian warriors wielding greatswords and giant axes were certainly good weapons for assaults, but using them for assassination was like using a greatsword to chop wood, utterly mismatched. Although the other side employed an invisible phalanx and Heavy Crossbows for support, this plan still seemed somewhat reckless… Up to now, although the death toll had already exceeded a hundred, most were third or fourth-rate nobles from government departments, and the majority were Household Knights and servants. The truly noteworthy targets had long been under the protection of experts. While not one hundred percent safe, it seemed there would be no further accidents easily.

Only the living could feel despair, like the constantly retreating Constantine.