He thrust his sword through a pouncing rat, but before he could flick the corpse away, an infected swung an old straight sword at him.
Bai Shi sidestepped the blow and plunged his sword into its chest. With a turn and a flick, he sent the infected's body—along with the rat corpse still impaled on his blade—flying, knocking over two other infected that were about to attack.
Just as he was about to move in for the kill, another infected unleashed a jet of Frenzied Fla.
Bai Shi rolled across the ground, narrowly escaping the blast. Before he could get back on his feet, a rat scurried up to him, its jaws gaping to bite.
He grabbed the rat’s head with his left hand and slamd it hard against the ground. After a second smash, his palm was covered in pulp.
He was about to stand when he heard the sound of sothing heavy falling behind him.
Without hesitation, Bai Shi rolled twice more on the ground.
"Thud!"
The giant rat, larger than a man, landed right where he had been a mont ago.
Bai Shi rose to his feet, took a large stride forward with his right foot, and gripped his greatsword with both hands. A gray light flashed across his body as he swung the massive blade in a powerful arc.
The blade skimd the grass, aiming for the giant rat's head in a swift upward slash.
Ash of War—Lunge (Upward Cut)!
The giant rat tried to leap aside, but its enormous body was now a hindrance.
Bai Shi's sword sliced open one side of its belly, spilling entrails and blood all over the ground.
Though the blow didn’t kill the giant rat, it was severely wounded. The creature began to retreat to the edge of the battlefield.
He stabbed another infected under the chin, the tip of his sword erging from the top of its head.
With a hard flick, the jaw and half of the face's skin went flying. The infected slowly collapsed.
But more enemies were closing in.
Two infected charged at him with swords from the left and right. Further away, another clutched its head as it stumbled forward, ready to unleash Frenzied Fla as soon as it got close enough.
The scuttling of rats echoed behind him. Seeing him surrounded, the Misbegotten in the sky seed to regain their courage and drew their small bows taut.
Bai Shi t them head-on, swinging his greatsword in a wide sweep. One infected was cut in half at the waist, but the montum of the blade was lessened, and it lodged in the other's ribcage.
The infected clutched the blade tightly, while a rat at his feet took the opportunity to bite at his ankle. Bai Shi had no choice but to kick it away forcefully.
The infected further away had now reached the optimal range for an attack.
It stared at Bai Shi, the Frenzied Fla building in its eyes, looking ready to erupt at any mont.
Bai Shi yanked his greatsword free, intending to escape the range of the Frenzied Fla imdiately.
But just then, an arrow from one of the Misbegotten struck a gap in his armor.
Pain flared, and Bai Shi instinctively faltered for a mont.
Damn it. Content originally cos from novel??fire
That mont's hesitation was all the ti the Frenzied Fla needed to reach him.
But the anticipated blast of fla never ca.
"Twang, thwip—"
A crossbow bolt struck the infected about to release the Frenzied Fla right between the eyes.
Bai Shi looked over and saw the nomadic rchant by the bonfire, mounted on his lean donkey, reloading his crossbow.
"We nomads can also work as rcenaries when the need arises. I believe you could use my services."
Bai Shi smiled. The nomadic rchants were a strange lot, but having them around was a great help.
He didn't offer his thanks just yet. There would be plenty of ti to thank him for his aid after the battle was over.
Bai Shi pulled the arrow from his body, breathing heavily.
After fighting for so long, he was feeling fatigue for the first ti.
To thin the enemy's numbers as quickly as possible and avoid getting grazed by the Frenzied Fla, he had deliberately used his most damaging weapon, the Lordsworn's Greatsword, putting his full strength into every swing.
But even though he was tired, he could still swing his sword.
Bai Shi surveyed the remaining enemies. The three Misbegotten could be ignored for now; their attacks didn't carry Frenzied Fla.
He wasn't afraid of getting hurt, as long as it wasn't by the fla.
Three infected, one giant rat, and four or five smaller rats were all that remained of the threatening foes.
As he watched the enemies close in once more, he breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Only this many of you left, and still rushing to your deaths. I'll finish you off right now."
—
Thrusting his sword through the last infected's chest, Bai Shi withdrew the blade and let it fall. But the creature was tenacious, pushing itself up with both hands, trying to rise again.
Bai Shi planted his greatsword in the ground at an angle, its edge pressed against the infected's neck. Then, he stomped on its head, forcing its throat onto the blade in a kiss of death.
The head rolled away. With that, all enemies were eliminated.
In the end, Bai Shi was victorious.
He collapsed to the ground and pulled out his Flasks of Crimson and Cerulean Tears from a small pouch, downing their contents in one go.
The bleeding from his wounds began to stop, and his spirit started to recover.
Even though the number of enemies had dwindled, his fatigue had made him too slow to dodge everything, and he had been forced to take a few hits.
Fortunately, he had managed to evade every Frenzied Fla attack. These minor injuries were of no real consequence.
The nomadic rchant rode over on his lean donkey.
"Wow, what a brutal way to fight."
Bai Shi didn't deny it. The scene of the battle was indeed too bloody. It was a good thing Irena couldn't see, or it might tarnish the image she had of him.
"Thanks for the assist earlier."
The nomadic rchant chuckled.
"Heh, you're welco. It's just business. My rates are quite high."
"Besides, there aren't many folks willing to pay just to sit by a fire these days. I already consider you a valued custor. It would be a pity if you died."
Bai Shi gestured to the corpses on the ground.
"You can have all the spoils from here. Consider it paynt for your services."
"Oh! How generous! In that case, I won't be shy."
Bai Shi didn't feel any regret. The rchant's arrow had truly saved his life, and his crossbow had been a great help in dealing with the Misbegotten in the sky afterward.
He rested for a while, then found a piece of cloth to wipe most of the blood and gore off himself before getting to his feet.
He blew his whistle, and Torrent trotted over to his side with Irena on his back.
Torrent's gait was steady, so there was no need to worry about the blind Irena being jostled off.
"Is the battle over? Are you hurt?"
Irena asked with concern.
Bai Shi patted his armor, making a loud clang.
"Not a scratch on . I took care of all those enemies with ease."
Irena, unaware he was fibbing, relaxed and offered a sweet smile.
"I'm so glad you're all right."
Then a thought struck her, and her smile faded into a look of distress.
"No, this is my fault again, isn't it? I've dragged you into an unnecessary battle and put you at risk. I'm so sorry."
"Ah! W-what are you doing...?"
As Irena was still blaming herself, an arm suddenly slid under her knees while another wrapped around her shoulders, lifting her from the steed.
It was Bai Shi, carrying Irena in his arms princess-style, walking slowly toward the bonfire.
"None of this is your fault."
"Besides, as a knight, it is my duty to protect my princess."
A blush crept onto Irena's face, but she couldn't help but smile, playfully retorting:
"A castellan's daughter is hardly a princess..."
Seeing that his attempt to console her had worked, Bai Shi smiled as well.
"If a wandering knight like
can be called a knight, then a castellan's daughter can certainly be called a princess."
Irena fell silent, secretly resting her head on Bai Shi's shoulder.
The thick scent of blood on him wasn't repulsive at all; instead, it felt strangely reassuring.
She had been about to tell him she could walk on her own, but now, she suddenly didn't want to.
If only this path could go on forever, she thought.
—
In a place they could not see, lina grood Torrent's fur, watching them with an expressionless face.
Torrent felt quite a bit of his fur being pulled out, but he dared not make a sound.
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