Chapter 34: Chapter 33: The Scent of Snow in the Blood
The brawny squire ca to the side of the dead squire.
He knelt on one knee and removed his helt, revealing the beastly white tiger ears, and his half-orc’s feline pupils glistened with a mournful sentint.
“Farewell, brother.”
“I will go back and tell your motherland that you were worthy of the knight’s na, I will tell your mother that you fought bravely in battle, and I will tell your grown daughter that you always loved her.”
The half-orc scooped up a handful of blood-stained snow and sprinkled it over his brother’s face.
“Now, I will kill that man and avenge you.”
The harsh and rciless wind blew, and the half-orc knight’s white hair fluttered in the breeze, as he slled the scent of blood from the bodies in his nostrils.
The blood carried the scent of snow.
If only he were a pure-blooded orc, even if it ant facing more discrimination, the stronger sense of sll would have allowed him to detect the enemy’s presence sooner.
He put his helt back on, drew in a deep breath of cold air, and looked towards the soldiers around him.
Indeed, due to invading the enemy’s territory, the cold weather, and the long-distance raid, the morale of the Rhea soldiers had visibly declined.
“I know your mothers.”
The half-orc knight’s voice was loud and clear, and all the soldiers looked his way.
“Your mothers are just like my mother, who wanted us to grow strong, forgave our mistakes, and taught us to be better, and now it’s ti for us to repay our mother.”
“The na of that mother is Rhea, her southern flesh stolen by the Cyart people. I can hear her crying; she’s lanting! I believe you can hear it too!”
He roared loudly, and the blood of everyone present began to boil!
“We must achieve victory! Long live Rhea! Long live the yer family!”
Morale was boosted once again, but a shadow of somberness appeared on the stern face of the half-orc knight, knowing that if that man wanted to escape, he would likely do so with ease.
He didn’t want to flee; he wanted to kill the Rheans here.
Suddenly, the half-orc’s eyes brightened. No, perhaps that man intended to lead them away—for what purpose? Could it be that there was a “real target” in the jungle?
The thing that the yer family sought, could it truly be on that man? Or was it carried by the remainder of that group?
His tiger-like eyes narrowed quietly, the anger in his gaze undisguised.
Lord Baron Bourette would stop those people; what he needed to do now was to avenge his brother, to kill that despicable scoundrel!
In war, treachery is essential for survival.
Perhaps, aside from survival itself, everything else in nature is superfluous.
Lucius could often hear the sound of flintlock gunfire ringing in his ears; those soldiers would shoot at the snowy ground around them from ti to ti and then quickly reload, fearing that an enemy might suddenly erge from the snow.
He wasn’t hiding in the snow anymore but had climbed up a tall tree and sat motionlessly amid the foliage, waiting for a new opportunity.
Lucius made no move as ordinary Rhea soldiers passed by. His target had always been clear—the Knight Extraordinary Exponents within the enemy ranks.
Once he completely dealt with two knights, the enemy’s morale would collapse quickly; the rest would be of little concern.
Before him, these ordinary Rhea soldiers were like children against an adult; he could thodically kill each and every one.
The perfect opportunity arrived even sooner than Lucius anticipated.
The half-orc knight, alone and out of sight of the many surrounding soldiers, ca near to conduct a solitary search and would soon pass by this spot.
Lucius could see that he was extrely cautious, scrutinizing the surrounding snow before daring to move forward, each step as though he were walking on thin ice.
The opportunity, a rare opportunity, was approaching.
The runes could not be activated again; he would need utmost care and agility to seize the mont and kill the enemy with a single strike.
At last, the half-orc knight reached the foot of the tree. Lucius took a deep breath, his muscles tensed instantly, and he leaped downward vigorously!
Swinging the blade in his hand with the force of a dive, he aid to cleave the enemy and his helt in one vicious strike!
Ti started to slow down.
That ant the knight had spotted Lucius and was simultaneously releasing hostility.
He felt an incredibly strange sensation, falling very slowly, a rate of descent that normal people would never experience in their lifetis.
The weapon of the half-orc knight was not a sabre but an extrely heavy blade, and instead of choosing to parry or counter-attack, he was rolling to the side with extre slowness.
Damn!
He was highly alert, reacting very quickly, the first strike ant to kill had missed!
Lucius cursed inwardly, his heart sinking to the depths in the instant he hit the ground because soldiers holding flintlocks and sabres were advancing from all sides.
They hadn’t let the half-orc knight beco too “isolated”, just patiently waiting nearby for any sudden developnts.
Lucius realized in a flash of understanding that the half-orc knight had purposely searched alone to draw the attack, clearly knowing his next target would definitely be him!
Using himself as bait!
What audacity and courage!
But it was precisely this kind of enemy that was most troubleso to deal with, Lucius thought as murderous intent boiled in his eyes, completely ignoring the Cyart soldiers gradually closing in and without hesitation charged towards the half-orc knight with his sword.
He had to kill him!
The flow of ti returned to normal.
“Arrgh!”
The half-orc knight, rolling on the ground, roared as he rose, swinging his heavy sword to chop at Lucius, the clash of the two weapons emitting a loud noise.
“Clang!”
As the two combatants engaged in close combat were too close, the soldiers didn’t fire imdiately, but many Cyart people had already drawn their sabres and were charging in.
Lucius knew he had less than five seconds before the swarming Cyart soldiers would kill him.
No more chances left!
“Sword brandishing!”
Lucius once again consud Spirituality, and the speed of his sword waving with both hands instantly increased several-fold, while the half-orc knight also displayed the power of Bloodline of the magic beast “Wind Spirit’s Breath Bird,” suddenly increasing his own reaction speed.
The blades slipped past each other, followed by a backhand strike, the blades collided again, passing by each other, flecks of snow scattering from the ground as the two fighters’ frequent exchanges at extrely close range unfolded in the most dangerous manner.
Distance, ti, strength—any slightest discrepancy could result in death for either side.
Less than three seconds to go.
“Ha!”
Both sides let out a loud shout at the sa ti, their attacks growing even more ferocious and ruthless, their eyes filled with unadulterated murderous intent, a seemingly infinite rage!
Only attack, no defense!
Lucius’s blade precisely sliced through the right eye of the half-orc knight, while his own left flank was torn open by a blade, the hot flow of blood unabated.
He seed to feel nothing at all, angrily slashing with his backhand to sever the weapon-wielding right arm of the half-orc knight.
The balance of victory tilted, and the wounded half-orc knight, oblivious to the blood spouting profusely, did not hesitate to roar out loud.
“Fire! Fire! Kill too!”
Everyone hesitated, though it was just for an instant, their respect for this half-orc knight officer led to the worst outco.
Lucius’s eyes flashed with purple light, suddenly deploying the repulsive force of the “protective runes” once more! The cooldown was finally over!
“Bang!”
Then, an explosion sounded above them, and the accumulated snow fog on several trees shook and dispersed, instantly transforming into a wide veil, obscuring the vision within ten ters.
Indeed, from the beginning, Lucius had left two alchemical explosives on the trunks to create an environntal effect conducive for escape!
The Cyart people could not see anything within the snow fog for a mont.
Then soone fired the first shot, followed by everyone shooting together, instinctively lowering their muzzles to avoid injuring their own people on the other side of the encirclent.
By the ti the veil-like snow fog had completely dispersed, Lucius was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the heavily wounded half-orc knight kneeling on the bloody ground, his tiger-like eyes full of resentnt.
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