Chapter 179: War (Part 3)
From afar came the sound of Wilskey's Flame Burst Arrows exploding, and the sound of the griffin knights chasing his figure from above, but Aldric did not feel that his side held any advantage. Because around him were a beastman and a dwarf.
The one speaking to him was a werewolf, although he had long known that these beastmen, under the enlightenment and teaching of Sedros, were no different from humans, speaking face-to-face with such a beast for the first time still felt indescribably strange. The spear from just now, while comparable to his own lance, contained a greater component of pure strength than the relatively thin Battle Qi. From this point of view, it was indeed the work of one of these beastmen, but in terms of feeling, Aldric was truly unwilling to believe that such a beast could actually use Battle Qi.
Battle Qi. That was the goal countless warriors yearned for. To possess this power was not just a representation of combat strength, but even more so an embodiment of experience, will, and spirit having reached a certain level. But now, this significance was actually embodied in a werewolf. This was like a wild dog winning a noble title that countless people pursued, something one was unwilling to believe.
However, this "unwillingness" was just a fleeting, emotional feeling. A Temple Knight's judgment, at any time, was as calm as ice, as precise as a dwarf craftsman's tools—that was the strongest weapon a top-tier warrior possessed. Aldric could see that the calm attitude of the beastmen around him, still as a maiden yet like a drawn bowstring, ready to strike at any moment—this was the aura and spiritual discipline that only true warriors possessed. It was just that with this kind of aura, Aldric almost subconsciously forgot their beastman identities.
And what was even more dangerous wasn't just this warrior's aura. It was their equipment. Those enormous sizes indicated equally enormous lethality, especially the giant warhammer in the hands of that Ogre. Aldric was certain that even the Radiant Battleplate could not possibly defend against a weapon like a battering ram.
After he fell from the sky into the woods, he immediately rushed towards the position from which the spear had been thrown, without even waiting for the griffin knights behind him, but what he saw was such a strange encirclement. He already understood that this was a meticulously designed trap.
"Gru didn't come?" Aldric asked in a deep voice. He was asking the dwarf behind the Ogre. Although this dwarf looked similar in height to those dwarves who lived underground, he was more slender. He was a rather short and strange-looking ordinary human. This person stood behind the many tall beastmen, especially behind the Ogre who was like a mountain, as insignificant as a pile of inconspicuous debris, but his expression and the spirit in his eyes were something none of the other beastmen possessed. Therefore, Aldric could see that this was the leader of this group of beastmen.
The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and said: "It's a pity. Lord Aldric, General Gru did not come here. Because you Temple Knights are not just the two of you, and you two are a combat combination that combines long and short range. Arranging a reasonable tactical trap is perhaps more effective than General Gru's brute force approach."
"Tactical trap... were all of these arranged by you?" Aldric continued to ask. He could hear bursts of screams and the mournful cries of griffins coming from a distance behind him; those were the griffin knights who had followed him. At the same time, there were also the sounds of many werewolves and lizardmen leaping between the trees, and the sounds of magical explosions shot by the battle mages on the griffins.
The dwarf nodded and said: "It was planned by Mr. Sedros and me. To us, the threat of the allied army is far less than that of you few Temple Knights who control the overall situation. As long as you are not here, things will be much easier for us. So from the very beginning, we were single-mindedly thinking about how to eliminate you. It seems my luck is good. We sacrificed two Wyverns, but in the end, being able to lure the two of you to this place makes it worth it."
Although Aldric could clearly hear all the movements behind him, he did not dare to turn his head. The gazes, auras, and full attention of the several beastmen around him were all concentrated on him. He didn't even have time to look up at Wilskey above. He had never imagined that he would truly, unwittingly, fall into a trap specifically designed for the two of them.
This place was no more than thirty or forty li from the main allied army, but nearly a thousand li from Oufu. No one would have thought that under such circumstances, there would actually be an ambush specifically targeting them. The setting of this trap required not only near-mad audacity, daring to let such a small force travel a thousand li to set an ambush right under the enemy's nose, being willing to use Wyverns to lure them out, but also every tactical detail such as location, timing, and the opponent's reaction had to be grasped just right. Those who could accomplish all this were undoubtedly strategists and tacticians of the highest caliber. The strategy could certainly have been designed by Sedros from a thousand li away, but to have arranged all of this so perfectly, it seems this was all the work of the dwarf before him.
Suddenly, Wilskey's loud shout came from the sky, and a faint, almost imperceptible foul smell appeared in the air. The dwarf looked up at the sky obscured by tree branches, nodded with satisfaction, took a scroll from his robes, and said: "Everything has been implemented as planned. Then I will not delay you all here. I will go back and wait for your good news."
"A teleportation scroll." Aldric watched the blue light flickering around the dwarf as he unrolled the scroll. His pupils suddenly contracted. In the same instant, his figure shot up. The giant war lance, carrying a roaring sound, went straight for the dwarf. This sudden strike was already Aldric's full power. He didn't even care that because of this strike, his flank and rear were wide open. This sudden, launched attack was a certain kill. He must kill this dwarf here.
Although this person looked as if he lacked the strength to even truss a chicken, and any beastman here could crush him like a mouse, Aldric knew clearly that to the allied army, even all the beastmen here combined were not as dangerous as this one dwarf. Therefore, he had to kill.
But this point was undoubtedly known to the beastmen and this dwarf as well. The moment Aldric moved, all the beastmen moved too. From above, below, left, and right, four weapons simultaneously, like a giant clamp, suddenly clamped down towards his body. And that giant Ogre, with just a single movement, completely shielded the dwarf behind him. That giant warhammer also directly and forcefully collided with Aldric's war lance.
In the huge clang of metal on metal, the blue light behind the Ogre flared and dissipated. The Temple Knight's body also rebounded, falling dejectedly to the ground after the impact.
"You were too careless, Lord Aldric. How could we possibly let you have the opportunity to attack Lord Bolgan? Your reckless attack just now only gave us an opportunity. Now you are at a disadvantage." It was still the werewolf speaking. He seemed to be the commander after the dwarf left, and his fluent human language was probably the reason he was particularly fond of talking.
Aldric did not answer. Because as soon as he opened his mouth, the mouthful of fresh blood in his throat would immediately spray out. A terrifying wound on his cheek was so deep it almost revealed his teeth, and at least three of his ribs were broken. Indeed, as this werewolf said, his action just now was reckless. If not for the Radiant Battleplate on his body, and the experience he had condensed from countless life-and-death battles that allowed him to see at the critical moment that his strike would indeed be ineffective, pulling back some of his strength to dodge the weapons of three beastmen, it would be impossible for him to still be standing now.
The five-meter-long, fine steel war lance was somewhat deformed. The fact that it wasn't completely twisted after a head-on collision with the several-hundred-jin giant weapon in the Ogre's hand was due to the Temple Knight's own superior strength. The Ogre panted a few coarse breaths. That strike just now was Aldric's full power, and he couldn't retreat. This head-on clash actually put him at a disadvantage.
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"It's a pity. If this were another occasion, I would have hoped to have a fair sparring match with you." A faint Battle Qi glow once again emanated from the werewolf. He held a jagged, yellow machete in his hand; he was also the only beastman who had successfully hit the Temple Knight just now. "But unfortunately, this is a battlefield, so we must use any means necessary to kill you."
In mid-air, and behind him, the mournful cries of griffins and the screams of griffin knights had already become a continuous chorus. Aldric knew the situation was not good, but this feeling of falling into a trap, this sense of anger and crisis, also completely ignited his fighting spirit. He suddenly roared. The white Battle Qi glow, mixed with the magic of the Radiant Battleplate, suddenly flared brightly. The white Divine Aegis shield on his left arm also materialized. With a war lance in his right hand and a shield in his left for defense, he was like a statue of a god of war in the dazzling white radiance.
"Come on, beasts, use the weapons in your hands to try and see if you can kill me." Aldric's roar made the entire forest tremble slightly. But the five beastmen around him showed no fluctuation at all. Whether in expression, movement, or aura and bearing, they were very steady, very calm, just like the weapons in their hands, firmly surrounding the Temple Knight in the center without a single opening.
In mid-air, the griffin knights had fallen into chaos. The battle mages' Purification was at full power. The casting level of these battle mages might not be very high, but they could use a little of any school of magic. These black raindrops falling from the sky immediately dissipated like snow under the scorching sun in the illumination of the white magic. The Purification light in the hands of the battle mages continuously dispelled the black corpse water falling from the sky.
But there were too few mages. Only one in four griffin knights was a battle mage, and the most these battle mages could do was dispel the black raindrops around themselves, powerless to do anything for their other companions. Wilskey's sudden command made the griffin knights hesitate for a moment at first, but the authority contained in the word "Necromancy" was enough to make anyone muster sufficient motivation. Especially when a griffin knight who was splashed with this black corpse water frantically wiped it off, tearing away a piece of his own flesh and skin. And so, all the griffin knights who were not battle mages desperately dove into the trees.
But the woods below were not a safe haven. The griffin knights who had followed Aldric and were chasing the two young men had long since started a strange and cruel battle with dozens of werewolves and lizardmen. Among the dense trees, these giant birds, the griffins, were not even as agile as a wild boar. Their bulky bodies made it impossible for them to turn and advance or retreat freely. The werewolves and lizardmen, however, moved and dodged swiftly through the tree branches, evading all direct attacks, crossbow bolts, and magic from the griffin knights. They did not fight the griffin knights head-on at all, but instead threw out nets that ensnared the griffins together with the knights on their backs.
The net-throwing techniques of the werewolves and lizardmen were incomparably skillful. They were undoubtedly specially trained for this kind of combat situation. Moreover, after they netted their targets, they didn't need to bother with them further. The griffins and knights entangled in these nets would usually scream and roll on the ground a couple of times before falling silent. When other griffin knights went forward to remove these nets, what remained were two corpses covered in wounds, the blood flowing from the small wounds was black. Embedded in these nets were countless small, sharp blades that glowed with a black light. Even a large raptor like a griffin could not last long under this poison, let alone the knights on their backs.
In fact, in terms of direct combat power, a combination of one griffin and one well-trained knight was far stronger than a werewolf or a lizardman, and they also had a numerical advantage. But the black rain from above had forced them into the woods. In such a narrow space, the griffin knights' air superiority was completely lost, and a griffin carrying a knight was far less agile than the lizardmen and werewolves. This was why they had fallen into a strange disadvantage against their opponents' peculiar fighting methods. It was not until twenty or thirty griffin knights had died to this strange and vicious weapon that a few very experienced knights suddenly realized, loudly reminding their companions to dismount their griffins and form a formation.
The griffin knights adopted a defensive stance, and the werewolves and lizardmen also temporarily stopped their attack. Because their mission was not truly to fight, but to delay. To delay for the battle to kill the Temple Knight.
The fine black rain in the sky was still falling slowly. Because the source of this black rain was high enough and dispersed finely enough, it could last for a certain amount of time. Only Wilskey was left in the air. Under his command, the battle mages had also charged into the woods to rendezvous with the other griffins. With his body at the center, a ring of white light enveloped him and the griffin he was riding. Once the black raindrops touched this layer of light, they were immediately evaporated and dissipated. And his eyes, sharper and brighter than those of an eagle or vulture, were fixedly staring at the person falling from high above.
Under his previous arrow, that black dot high in the sky had immediately shattered. From the falling wreckage, it seemed to be the zombie of a large eagle. Falling straight down, stiffly, along with those black, stinking remains was a person. Wilskey did not immediately shoot another arrow at this person who looked like a corpse. He knew who this was. And he knew this person could absolutely not be killed by his one arrow. He was watching, he was waiting, waiting for a certain-kill strike.
This free-falling person was approaching the ground at high speed. Wilskey could see this person's appearance clearly, even the gaze looking back at him was perfectly clear. It was the same kind of gaze, one of confrontation, of waiting for an opportunity. With just a glance, Wilskey visually estimated that the straight-line distance between this person's landing point and himself was only a little over a hundred meters. He did not urge his griffin to get any closer. He was also clear on the power and unpredictable strangeness of Necromancy. This distance was already very close for him, close enough to at least let him shoot the eye of a flying sparrow. And now, the one who held the advantage was himself; there was no need to take the risk of approaching.
His five fingers formed a fist, with an arrow clenched between each finger. Wilskey nocked four arrows on his bow at once and drew the string to its full extent. The moment that person fell to a height parallel with him, these four arrows whistled out simultaneously. These four arrows, shot simultaneously from the same person, the same hand, the same bow, flew towards the target in four completely different ways. Only one arrow flew straight ahead, while the other three each drew a strange arc in the air, shooting from the left, right, and below, from three directions and three angles. These bizarre curves drew strange, sharp whistles in the air.
This kind of archery had long surpassed the scope of being judged by precision. This was arrows shot by infusing Battle Qi into them and using a special finger technique. On the entire continent, only Wilskey could shoot four arrows with one bow like this. But Wilskey did not seem to think that these four miraculously skillful arrows were enough. He immediately drew another arrow and nocked it on his bow. This time, the Battle Qi glow over his entire body flared up, just like when he shot down the two Wyverns earlier. This was his true killing move. The previous four arrows were merely a setup, or a probe.
Facing the four arrows coming from different angles, this person's figure finally began to slow in mid-air. Wilskey knew this was the use of Feather Fall. No matter who it was, facing such four tricky arrows, it was impossible to remain in a high-speed, uncontrolled fall. And his purpose was precisely to make the opponent use Feather Fall. Whoever can make the opponent have to act according to their attack first, that person seizes the initiative.
Wilskey let out a low shout and drew the string. The huge Golden Battle Bow bent more severely than ever before. His enormous, deformed arm drawing the bow became even more grotesque. The veins and muscles on it throbbed, exuding a shape and luster of power, as if they would immediately burst through the skin's restraint to fly out and crush the opponent into dust. The Battle Qi glow that originally filled his entire body was now concentrated on the arrow about to be released. This was absolutely an incomparable arrow. Even Gru, facing such an arrow shot with condensed power and accumulated momentum, would have to go all out to handle it. But such an arrow, which required gathering power, was relatively slower. Therefore, Wilskey wanted to force the opponent into a situation where they had to expose an opening to defend against the attack before shooting.
He did not act carelessly because his own strength was relatively greater and he held the advantage. When a lion fights a rabbit, it still goes all out; moreover, he knew this opponent was definitely not just a rabbit. So he cautiously maintained this distance and then struck with all his strength using the most effective method.
As expected, the four arrows from different directions did not truly threaten the opponent. This person paused slightly in mid-air, and his left and right hands actually each caught an arrow and struck them against each other. The other two arrows were also knocked down. The power of one bow was divided into four parts. If this person's strength was ten, then the power of each arrow was at most four or five. It was only natural that they could be caught.
However, just as the four arrows fell separately, the arrow that had condensed all of the Temple Knight's Battle Qi and strength was also released. After releasing this arrow, the layer of white light on Wilskey's body even dissipated. If the black rain in the sky had not just finished falling at this moment, he and the griffin beneath him would probably have immediately met with disaster.
What was shot was no longer an arrow. Judging by its appearance, it was a sphere of pure white light, leaving a trail of afterimages as it flew forward with incomparable speed in the air. If judged by its momentum, it was thunder, and not just a single clap of thunder, but thousands and hundreds of them gathered into one mass, rolling forward with a posture of splitting heaven and earth and annihilating all things. If this opponent's strength was ten, then the power of this full-power arrow was one hundred.
Wilskey had witnessed this opponent's eyesight, reaction, and agility. He knew that although the hundred-meter distance between them was not far, it was enough for this person to have time to catch any arrow. Moreover, being in mid-air without a point of leverage, he could be pulled along by the arrow to glide and dissipate the force. Therefore, Wilskey had decided from the beginning to use this arrow—an arrow that even if he could catch it, he absolutely could not pull—to decide the outcome. Based on this opponent's magical cultivation, it was absolutely impossible for him to use Flight. So the only thing that needed to be done was to first force him to use Feather Fall, so that his body would have no more room to change its trajectory. And now, all of this had been accomplished.
The muscles in his arm erupted with a stabbing pain from overexertion. The skin was even stretched to the point of tearing from the excessive expansion of the muscles, and now large patches of blood were seeping out. Inside his body, it was empty, without a trace of Battle Qi. Yet in Wilskey's heart, there was a brief feeling of relief. Being able to kill this opponent was definitely a good thing for the allied army.
But this feeling of relief only lasted for a brief instant, because he saw that person actually dodge this arrow that should have been impossible to dodge. He indeed did not use Flight. This opponent actually placed his hand behind his back and detonated a burst of flame, and then his figure suddenly rose amidst the explosion. With just this sudden rise, that arrow, like thunder and lightning, just happened to pass two or three meters below this person's body.
